Coming Together
by Missmishka
Summary: COMPLETED! Full summary inside, basically a total romance with comedic and dramatic touches to try and make more people see the power of ROGAN!
1. Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER: 

X-Men and all characters, places and events related to the franchise are the property of Marvel Comics and a whole host of others who are not nor ever will be me, but if ever the owners would like to change that I'll gladly take Logan. :-P This series does contain an original character and completely fictional events inspired by the X-Men Evolution cartoon series.

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Author's Notes: 

WARNING – This series is a total return to mah smut fictions! It is rated a very strong R for scenes starring Rogue with mah Logan. Yes, those scenes shall be STEAMY as hell once written, so if such writing offends you in any way or your are too young to venture into my very adult fantasies, please run screaming in the other direction now.

You brave souls that are familiar with my writing and wish to venture forward, Excellent! "Stuff of Heroes" and Trace Adkins' "Chrome" inspired the first actual chapter, plus I loooooooooove the whole biker Logan thing and mah girl Rogue totally fits right into that scene. ;-) 

In this story, which kind of ties into my "Elizabeth Braddock is Evolutionized" series, Brian and Betsy Braddock are adapted from the comics and featured characters.

PAIRINGS in this series, mostly just implied, will be:

Amanda/Kurt

Betsy/Pietro

Jean/Scott

Kitty/Lance

Tabitha/Brian

And of course – TONS of Rogue/Logan :-P 

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Story Intro:

The X-Men start to notice just how perfect Logan and Rogue are for each other, even if the pair still has doubts themselves.

Soon the team begins a little matchmaking to bring the couple together with very satisfying results. ;-)

Along the way … Rogue finds herself able to control her mutation. 

Oooooooh, what fun


	2. The Attraction is Obvious

**__**

The Attraction is Obvious

So powerful.

So responsive to her every move.

Could anything be more exciting than controlling this ride?

Rogue leaned further over the front of her motorcycle and pushed the machine faster.

Her green eyes locked on the man riding a similar bike up ahead of her.

Something told her controlling _that_ ride would surpass any thrill she got from these little races of theirs.

Knowing how unlikely it was that she'd ever get a chance to find out, she focused completely on showing Logan yet again how well she could handle this beauty.

Her thighs gripped the vibrating machine tighter as she went roaring past him and took the lead.

His engine revved and she could feel him getting more serious about their game, but she didn't look back.

He'd overtake her again soon.

He always did.

She just wanted to enjoy this lead as long as it lasted.

~*~*~

Behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses, Logan's dark brown eyes were locked on the lithe feminine body in front of him as it competently controlled the big bike it was hugging.

He nearly groaned as he watched Rogue's thighs tighten on the machine as she leant it into the curve they were taking in the road.

__

God, to be that bike, he thought enviously.

These rides of theirs were becoming sheer torture for him.

She was a completely different person out here.

Away from all the others at the school, with just the two of them and their motorcycles, she was … happy.

Her lush lips were always curled into a smile on these trips, even when he so smugly eased his bike ahead of hers to show his superior expertise at driving.

He'd nearly wrecked more than once getting caught up in the beauty of that smile because he couldn't resist looking at her as he went by.

For a few more moments he held back and enjoyed the sight of her relishing the lead she had.

Then with a slight smile, he slid lower on his machine and gunned the engine.

In no time at all Logan's motorcycle had picked up the speed needed to retake the lead and he did it with a laugh.

His sensitive hearing picked up the sound of her laughter on the wind as she surrendered to him.

__

If only she surrendered to him elsewhere as easily as she did on the road, he thought with a growl.

~*~*~

Hours later they returned to the institute and brought their bikes to a stop side by side in the garage.

"Man, I needed that," Rogue said as she pulled her right leg over the machine and eased off the left side to face Logan.

He watched her remove her helmet and arch her back as her hand ran through her mussed hair.

The movements were so sensual his body clenched with a familiar hunger.

She placed the helmet on the seat of her bike and continued to torment him by stretching her luscious body to work out the kinks from their ride.

Standing rather uncomfortably now next to his own bike, Logan made a mental note to start wearing looser pants around her for these rides.

The tight denim of the jeans he now wore was feeling very painful in an area he liked having as little pain as possible.

Suddenly she stopped her bending and twists to look straight into his eyes.

For a moment he was sure she could see right through the dark sunglasses he still wore and was seeing the desire burning in his gaze.

Then she shrugged a shoulder and tucked her gloved hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

"We gonna do this again next week?"

He took off his own helmet and considered the question.

He loved their rides together since the Prof. had gone with Logan's idea of getting Rogue her own bike.

Problem was he enjoyed them too much of late.

She was looking so eager though, that he nodded stiffly in answer.

It looked almost like she was gonna hug him for that, but instead she smiled one last smile and nodded before leaving the garage.

His eyes locked onto her swaying hips in those tight jeans as she walked away and he groaned at the images that began swirling through his mind.

~*~*~

Across the yard and looking straight into the garage stood a gaping Jean.

The connection between Logan and Rogue had always been obvious, but she'd never had a clue about how…deeply it ran.

The thoughts she'd just read in Logan's mind told her there was more to that pair than met the eye.


	3. An Ideal Develops

**__**

An Idea Develops

The whole team was working out in the gym.

Brian, Kurt and Scott were beating on the punching bags off to the side.

Betsy, Jean, Kitty and Tabitha were all on the exercise bikes, which were positioned to face the large mat in the center of the room.

Rogue was working on her self-defense movements on that mat with Logan.

Jean's green eyes narrowed as she focused her attention on that pair.

She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before.

Watching the two teammates circle and lunge at each other in their rather playful training made it obvious that they were a perfect pair.

__

Goodness, the exercise had both of them smiling.

~~ Betsy, look at that. ~~

The fellow telepath responded to Jean's mental order and focused her blue eyes on the couple virtual playing in the center of the room.

__

~~ Well I'll be… ~~

The two girls exchanged glances at Betsy's mental exclamation.

__

~~ Are you thinking what I'm thinking? ~~ Jean asked.

__

~~ You may very well be on to something, luv. ~~

When Logan snagged Rogue around the waist and pinned her down to the mat, Jean elbowed Kitty to her left and Tabitha to her right.

The girls turned to glare at her for the sharp nudges and Jean cocked her head toward the center of the room to indicate that they should both look.

Rogue was now laughing up at Logan as she wiggled beneath his weight and tried to get some leverage to throw him off.

The man took her gloved hands in his and placed them against the mat above her head, smiling confidently that she wouldn't get out of his hold.

The brave girl made a face at him, even being so bold as to stick her tongue out, moments before she started using her powers on him.

It was obvious she'd called upon the powers she'd absorbed from Jean, because the pair began to levitate up off the mat until there was enough room for Rogue to flip them in the air and drop back down to the floor with Logan pinned beneath her.

Instantly, she dug up some of her superhuman strength and held him down as she shifted to straddle his chest.

Logan arched a single black brow up at the girl for her actions.

"This was supposed to be a 'powerless' session."

"Ah, but, shuga, you know what they say. All's fair…" and then she actually giggled.

__

It was practically foreplay, Jean thought, just a tad scandalized.

The other three girls watching the scene all turned to exchange surprised but smiling glances with each other before returning their slightly amazed stares to the couple that was just grinning at each other on the mat.

__

~~ Aren't they just perfect for each other? ~~

Kitty and Tabitha looked at each other then nodded a definite yes to Jean who had asked the question telepathically.

Betsy kept her eyes on the couple on the mat and then smiled broadly.

__

~~ Indeed they are, luv. ~~

Jean and Betsy exchanged thoughtful glances at Betsy's telepathic reply to Jean's question.

~~ You still thinking what I'm thinking, Betts? ~~ 

~*~*~

Just like that the X-Grrls were on board with Jean's plan to bring Logan and Rogue together.

They could easily handle getting Rogue to go along with their little 'date' scenario, but they had to get the guys involved to work on Logan.

Kurt was an easy convert, being willing to take part in virtually any scheme that got cooked up around the school.

Brian was doubtful that they'd be successful, as he simply didn't see the chemistry between the pair, but he agreed to help however he could.

Scott wasn't so easy.

When Betsy and Jean approached him with their plan they were both stunned by the jealousy they detected from him.

Both girls with their telepathic abilities saw that Scott had grown quite attached to the idea of Rogue wanting him above all others and he wasn't about to help with a plan that matched her up with someone else.

For long moments Jean stood gaping at her boyfriend and Betsy took that as her cue to run for cover, but she stayed a safe distance away to watch the fireworks.

Betsy watched Jean's mouth opening and shutting with words she just couldn't get out and her hands curling into fists.

The redhead's mind was swirling with furious thoughts and some jealousy of her own.

Suddenly one of her fists rose to slam into Scott's stomach.

"Jesus, Jean, what was that for?!" he exclaimed as he doubled over.

"You….you….jerk! I can _read_ your _mind_, Scott, remember?!"

"Wha - " he began before remembering what he'd been thinking when she went off. "Look, Jeannie, it doesn't mean anything. I mean…I'd never - "

"Good," she interrupted him and put her face right in his, "then you won't mind helping us out with our plan. _Will_ you, Scott?!"

Like the nice, whipped little boyfriend he'd been even before he started dating his dream girl Jean, Scott nodded his agreement.

With one last glare at him she turned, flicked her long red hair over her shoulder into his face and walked off in a huff.

Betsy sighed and slumped down disappointedly in her hiding spot.

__

Those two couldn't even loosen up to have a good lover's quarrel, she thought as she imagined what she'd ever do if Pietro had any possessive thoughts of another girl.


	4. A Few Problems to Work Out

Quick Note: I keep forgetting to say this, but to all readers kinda new to reading my fictions, whenever you see something in ~~ ~~ and _italicized_ know that that is a telepathically spoken thought. If it's something just plain _italicized_ that's usually a thought or something italicized to emphasize the meaning of the word or phrase chosen. You'll see the method to my madness pretty easily, though, so just enjoy. :-)

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**__**

A Few Problems to Work Out

"I think we, like, have a problem," Kitty declared during one of their planning sessions.

"What is it, luv?" Betsy looked up to ask.

"Rogue's skin. She's totally terrified of having a relationship because of it. Just last night when we were all watching that movie she got all upset and left the room when the couple kissed at the end because she thinks she can never have that."

Betsy frowned as Kitty's words reminded her of how she'd had to go comfort her friend after watching that romantic video.

"Bloody 'ell, you're right, Kit."

At the realization, everyone in the room started thinking on the issue.

Brian, Betsy, Jean, Kitty, Kurt and Tabitha were all honestly trying to think of a way to help their friend Rogue get around her mutation so she could have a 'normal' relationship with Logan.

Scott's thoughts were being projected to the two mind readers in the room and those thoughts were far from helpful. 

__

Why should she control her skin just so **he** can touch her?

I've never minded her touching me with that skin. 

(Memories of the times Rogue had touched him flashed through Scott's mind and he fondly thought of how soft her hands had been and how gently they'd stroked his face even through the draining pain as she absorbed his powers.)

What's so special about Logan anyway?

She wanted me first. Heck, she still wants me.

No one ever tried to hook us up, though, did they?

She'd probably be pretty darn happy with me, too.

Those were Scott's thoughts and they were so obvious to the telepaths that they could no longer concentrate on their own thoughts of trying to help Rogue.

While Jean just started to pout at her boyfriend's mental ramblings, Betsy got bloody furious.

She jumped to her feet and moved to tower over the young man lying casually on the couch.

__

~~ Shut up, you moron! ~~

"Whaa - " Scott sat up abruptly to stare confused at Betsy.

Without speaking, she grabbed his arm and drug him from the rec. room where they were having their meeting.

__

~~ Bloody 'ell, Scott, I never would have thought you could be as dumb as you look. Is it that you forget that your girlfriend and I can read your bloody mind or do you just not care?! ~~

He opened his mouth to self-righteously defend himself and condemn Betsy for prying into his mind, but she knew it was coming and stopped him.

__

~~ I wasn't prying, you ass, **you** were projecting! What bloody right have you to start thinking about Rogue that way now? She's finally over her stupid, and crickey was it stupid, crush on you to find someone who can actually make her happy and you want to spoil it? What about Jean, Einstein?! **Your girlfriend**?! You've supposedly loved old Red since you met her and now you finally have her loving you back and you're projecting all these hurtful thoughts to her about another girl? Get your bloody head out of your bum, Summers! ~~

During her passionate lecture, he'd begun sinking away from her guiltily. 

Betsy could sense that she'd made her point and the young man was feeling pretty small right then.

__

~~ Is she very angry? ~~

He voiced the question about his girlfriend to Betsy telepathically. 

__

~~ I don't know, luv, but she's awful hurt. Your thoughts may be relatively harmless, but you have to remember that she can see them all out of context. Perfect as she may seem, Jean's pretty insecure with love and she needs you to be as focused on her and her alone as you always were before you started dating. ~~

He nodded shamefully and began thinking of how he loved his Jean and ways to make this up to her.

Betsy felt those thoughts to be a little much and shut them out while she left him to return to the group in the rec. room.

Upon re-entering the room, she saw Jean huddled off to herself staring out a window at nothing and started to go to her.

Scott charged into the room, spotted Jean's new location, pushed past Betsy, grabbed his girlfriend and pulled her from the room without a word before Betsy even reached the other girl.

She huffed at the abruptness of his actions.

All eyes in the room widened in shock as they gazed at the door the couple had left through and then turned their attention to Betsy for an explanation.

"I haven't a clue, luvs," she answered honestly to the question in their eyes.

She truly had no idea what Scott was up to and something told her she didn't want to know, but she sure hoped it worked.

Shaking off thoughts of that couple she focused on the couple this meeting was about.

"So what kind of ideas have we come up with for Rogue's mutation," Betsy asked she sat down on the floor again.

"Ve've got nozhing," Kurt sighed.

"Come on now, surely there must be a way? Brian, Kitty, you're the smart ones…think!"

Brian and Kitty glared at Betsy for the order, but did just as she demanded.

"I think we should bring the Professor and Hank in on this," Brian concluded.

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

"Not the matchmaking stuff, luvs, just trying to help Rogue with her mutation. They've been trying to figure something out for that since she came here, so they've got to have some ideas," he reasoned.

The others absorbed his wise words and nodded.

With that it was decided they'd divide and conquer.

Betsy and Brian would work on the Professor.

Kitty, Kurt and Tabitha would get to Hank. 

Jean and Scott remained off somewhere making up.

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Author's Note: I apologize for focusing so much on the 'perfect' couple that in Jean and Scott in these last two chappies, but I totally love throwing obstacles in their path to trip them up in my fictions. They're just….too….UGH….perfect….and goodie goodie, especially in the Evolution cartoon. Hope y'all didn't mind the little detour into their relationship and I promise I'm back to all attention on Logan & Rogue.


	5. Searching For a Solution

**__**

Searching For a Solution

"So, Mr. McCoy, like have you given much thought to how we can help Rogue?" Kitty asked.

The big blue man turned to stare at the trio who had just entered his lab and he arched a suspicious brow.

"What are you all up to now?"

"Nozhing bad. Ve jus vant to help Rogue. She is meine schwester [translation = 'my sister'] and I vant her to be happy. It iz not fair zhat she cannot touch," Kurt said.

"Yeah, man. She deserves to be happy, but can't with all that dangerous skin and we need to help her," Tabitha seconded.

"Seriously, Mr. McCoy, she's getting like major depressed over not being able to touch or be touched. We know you and Professor X have been trying to think of ways to help her. We just want to know what you've come up with and how we can help."

Kitty's eyes were shining with sincerity so Hank shrugged away any misgivings and decided to share with them his theories.

"In my studies I've found that there are basically two ways in which the X gene manifests itself into a physical mutation. First there is natural evolution and that is where the mutation is obvious at birth or begins developing naturally as the mutant grows. Kurt, you are a prime example of a natural evolution. 

"The second way powers manifest is via a trigger. Something - puberty or some trauma or just a little something - awakens the X gene that has been lying dormant in the mutant and the powers suddenly manifest themselves. Jean's telepathy is a good example of triggered mutation, as her powers manifested themselves after watching a friend die tragically in an accident when she was young.

"It is our belief that Rogue's powers were also triggered. The Professor and I can't quite agree on how or why they manifested themselves as they did, though. It is Charles' opinion that some trauma in her life flipped her powers on and they will stay that way until she faces the trauma and exorcises her demons, so to speak. I am of the belief that hormones triggered it. 

"If the Professor's theory is true, then he can help Rogue control her mutation with therapy. If my theory is correct it becomes much more complicated. There is a possibility that her powers will naturally lessen over time to a controllable level. It is also possible that they will grow more potent and powerful as she continues to grow and develop. I have tried developing serums and injections for her that may help if her mutation is connected to her hormone level, but if my theory is incorrect they might would harm her if she took them. 

"To be completely honest, kids, we've come to the conclusion that time and patience is what's needed most in dealing with Rogue's mutation."

His audience of three took in all he'd said then gaped at Hank.

"You mean you're like not even trying anymore?!" Kitty cried.

"Man, I thought you guys were here to help us all with our mutations. You gotta do something for Rogue!" Tabitha huffed.

"Can't zhere be anozher vay? Vhat about zomething like mein image inducer? Couldn't ve vork on a device zhat can control Rogue's skin?" Kurt nearly shouted.

"Easy, easy, everyone," Hank rose and waved them into silence. "No one here is giving up on trying to help Rogue. We simply must weigh the pros and cons of each possibility carefully so as not to harm her or do any permanent damage. Her mutation is extremely rare and potent, we can't just rush to any conclusions."

"Fine. Vhat can ve do to help you vith your studies?" Kurt asked.

Sighing, Hank accepted that he now had three eager and very pushy lab assistants who were determined to cure Rogue yesterday. Thinking it was probably a good thing, he pulled out all the materials and experiments he'd been working on with the hope of helping Rogue. He then assigned each teen a chore to read or test or study something and they all settled in for a long day's work.

~*~*~

"Sorry to just barge in on you, Professor, but Brian and I feel this to be very important," Betsy said as she and her twin settled into the chairs in front of the Professor's desk in his office.

"It is fine this once, Betsy. You wish to discuss Rogue, I believe?"

Betsy had been expecting the man to know why they were there, but Brian jumped nervously and Betsy could sense him wondering just how much the Professor knew.

"As a secret group, you're not very secret," the Professor smiled and revealed that he knew everything. "I overheard Kitty and Tabitha discussing your matchmaking plans for Logan and Rogue."

Silently cursing those two girls, Betsy and Brian both sighed and sank down in their chairs.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, you two," Charles surprised them both by saying.

"You do," the twins both asked.

"Absolutely. I'm not oblivious to what is happening in the relationships around me. Logan and I have been friends for years now. It has been impossible for me not to notice the changes in his behavior toward Rogue. His feelings for her have been obvious to me since he so devotedly cared for her after her little power surge. The change in Rogue's feelings has been just as apparent since that event, as well. I think they will make a delightful couple."

__

Jolly good, Betsy cheered silently, getting a laugh from the Professor who had picked up the thought.

"What can be done about her mutation though? Rogue is so fixated on worrying about the effect her skin has on others that she'll never risk a relationship – no matter how much the little luv wants one – unless she can control it," Brian leant forward to say.

All traces of laughter left the bald man's expression as Brian's words reminded him of the seriousness of Rogue's situation.

"To say it's complicated is an understatement. I've never come across a mutation as … determined, almost … as Rogue's. The strain placed upon her when all those she'd absorbed fought for control was extreme. After the personalities in her had been subdued, I feared she would be left permanently damaged. That her powers remain and stronger than ever after all she has been through of late has given me a great deal to think about. Unfortunately, those thoughts have circled around the realization that her skin may never be controllable."

"You've got to be joshing us, Professor!" Betsy exclaimed.

"I'm afraid I am not, Elizabeth. This matter is far to grave for me to ever joke about, even in passing."

"You've found some way to help everyone else here with their mutation, there has _got_ to be something we can do for Rogue!" 

For a moment the Professor was quiet after Brian's outburst and both the Braddock's could see the man was deep in thought by the way his brow furrowed.

"You're quite right, Brian. I detect Hank and the rest of your crew in the lab working on what they believe may help her. Brian, go ready the Velocity, I believe we should go on a little trip to research _my_ theory about her mutation," the Professor declared as he wheeled around his desk to leave the office.

"Where are we going, luv?" Betsy asked.

"Caldecott County, Mississippi. I believe there is someone there who can help us."

~*~*~

Destiny, Rogue's foster mother also known as Irene Addler, was expecting them when they arrived at her home in Mississippi.

"There is not much that I can tell you, Professor," the woman declared as the trio she'd just welcomed into her living room sat down.

"Perhaps that is true, Irene, but there is also a possibility that you know exactly what information I need to help Rogue and don't even realize it yourself," the Professor replied.

Betsy and Brian simply remained quiet to observe the conversation between the two adults.

"You wish to probe my memories, then?" the blind woman asked, clutching her cane.

"I'd rather not go that far. I am hoping that your feelings for Rogue, genuine as I know your concern for the girl to be, will allow you to forget any agreements you've had in the past with Mystique and assist me."

The woman sighed and nodded her agreement.

"I will tell you everything that I know."

"Excellent. I'd like to begin with your visions. I am aware that you foresaw how Rogue's mutation would develop, could you elaborate on what exactly you saw please?"

"It's all rather vague now, but I shall try," Irene focused her mind on the memories. "They began just before Mystique brought Rogue to me when the girl was just five years old. I … I sensed an incredible power sleeping within the child. Something like I had never seen or even imagined before. It became clear to me that her skin was the key to that mutation and as I raised her I made sure that that skin was never touched. My visions were never specific, simply images of some poor fool touching Rogue and she absorbing them – their memories, abilities and if she were to hold on long enough, their very lives."

"You did not predict the events in which her powers would manifest themselves?"

"No," the woman sighed sadly, "it was not until that fool Cody touched her that we knew for sure her powers were active."

"So you are saying that her mutation may have manifested itself before that dance and you would not even have known it?"

"I had to be careful, Xavier. It was my duty to protect her, those around her and myself from any contact. I do regret to admit that from the age of five until that incident there was no accidental touching of her flesh to know for sure how long her powers have been present."

"You mean she went without any kind of touch, even the most innocent contact from a loved one, her entire childhood?" Betsy exclaimed, horrified at the thought.

Irene didn't answer verbally, but the way her body slouched down in it's chair spoke volumes.

__

~~ Let us not dwell on the harsher aspects of Rogue's childhood, Betsy. We're here to learn all we can from Destiny about what may have sparked the manifestation of Rogue's mutation, nothing more. ~~

~~ You don't think the 'harsher aspects' of her childhood could have done just that? ~~

~~ We'll discuss it later, young lady. ~~

Betsy sank back in her own chair at that to allow the Professor to continue his questioning of Irene.

She only partially listened to their conversation though, because a theory was coming to life in her head, just from what she'd learned so far, and she felt it had some true merit.

~*~*~

"Just hear me out, Professor," Betsy implored of the man as they returned to Bayville and his office.

"Betsy, it is a very good theory, but I think the source of Rogue's mutation is a little more complicated than a self-fulfilled prophecy or physical manifestation of some long held belief," the man responded, having heard the Betsy's argument on the journey home.

"Baloney, guv! How can believe that Rogue's mutation was triggered by a trauma and not even consider that the way she was raised was just the trauma needed for her mutation to develop? Think about it, Prof.. Irene has visions that Rogue's skin will be the key to this powerful mutation that has yet to manifest, but Mystique already wishes to control. To protect everyone involved Irene than makes sure that Rogue is **_never_** touched. Children **_need touch_** growing up. We have to have hugs and pats on the back and kisses on the cheek and even a slap on the wrist to know someone cares that much about us. 

"Rogue never had any of that. That is why she's so solitary and defensive. That is why she thinks of herself as poison. Do you honestly think that way of thinking is new to her? The realization that her skin really is dangerous only confirmed what I'm sure Rogue always grew up believing. That she was untouchable…unlovable. 

"If her X gene was developed and triggered by something mentally, I tell you Professor, that has to have been just the thing that did it!"

"Very well, I will concede that it is possible, but how do you suggest we proceed with trying to help her if that is the case?"

"Simple, luv. We touch her."


	6. Testing Begins

**__**

Testing Begins

"Ok, where's everyone stand now?" Betsy asked the next day when the matchmakers all met for another meeting.

"Well, Hank's come up with some possible serums that could temporarily control her skin, but that's about it."

Betsy looked at Jean who had given that update and nodded. After making up Jean and Scott had eventually gone into the lab with the others to assist Hank, so the other girl was well aware of the man's progress on the scientific front.

"It may be just what we need," Betsy thought aloud.

Betsy sank into silence and began putting her theory together with that new information to begin forming a plan.

"What are you up to now, luv," Brian asked as he noticed the wicked smile touches his twin's face.

"Just the thing our Rogue needs, I'm thinking, luv."

Everyone turned their attention to the smiling female and started demanding to be let in on her plan, even Scott.

"Ok ok, settle down, blokes," she leant down into their huddle and began to whisper. "This is what we need to do…."

~*~*~

"This is only a temporary solution, you all understand that right?" Hank asked for the hundredth time as the group surrounded him in his lab.

"That's all we need, luv, Rogue'll take care of the rest herself," Betsy assured him with a smile.

The big blue man curled his hand around the vial Betsy was waiting for and crossed his long arms over his chest.

"I think someone should tell me what you all are up to," he said, making it clear it was the only way they'd get the serum.

Betsy, Brian, Jean, Kitty, Kurt, Scott, and Tabitha all looked at each other, saw no one had any arguments and shrugged their acceptance of the rule.

"Ok, luv, here's the deal…." Betsy began telling the man of her brilliant plan.

He listened carefully and nodded thoughtfully at each point the girl made before taking a moment to give the plan greater thought from his scientific perspective.

"Are you sure she'll believe this is a permanent cure?" he eventually asked.

"So long as everyone keeps the truth a secret," Betsy declared.

"What about when Rogue needs her powers?"

Betsy opened her mouth to make some automatic reply then closed it with a snap when she realized she hadn't even thought of that.

"Oh, bullocks!"

And with that everyone gathered in the lab went back to the drawing board to work out the kinks in that previously flawless plan.

~*~*~

"You all are missing dinner, you know," the Professor said as he wheeled in to join them hours later.

The occupants in the room all looked at the pile of pizza boxes near the trashcan then back at Charles.

"We got that covered," Scott stated the obvious.

"So I see now," the Professor said with a wry smile after following their gazes. "How goes your little mission?"

Most everyone groaned at the question and he could sense the frustration they were all feeling.

Hank, Kurt and Tabitha's hair was all mussed from each of them running their fingers through it at some point.

Crumbled sheets of notepaper littered the floor and tabletops, with a large accumulation around the trashcan that suggested some missed attempts at making a basket from across the room.

Betsy and Kitty were getting discouraged that they might not be able to help their friend.

Brian, Jean and Scott were all still trying to maintain their focus and stay at it.

No one spoke up to actually answer his question, so the Professor wheeled further into the room and began looking at the notes they'd made.

He came to the plan Betsy still felt was the best way to go and looked at the details carefully.

"That one," he picked up her notes to study them more thoroughly, "This has promise."

"I knew it!" Betsy jumped up smiling until she remembered why the plan wouldn't work, "How would she use her powers when she needed to, though?"

The Professor's brow furrowed in thought for a while.

"I believe I can help with that," he finally said.

"How?" they all asked.

"There's no way we can keep it secret that the serum's effects are only temporary. I think the best way to proceed would be to …" and he began his idea.

"What if it backfires?" Scott asked when the Professor finished.

"Yes, Rogue has a real problem with being mislead, Professor," Jean said.

"Come on now, it's no more deceptive than my original plan, luvs," Betsy told them before turning to Charles, "Smashing idea, guv."

"Now that they mention it, Betts, you gotta admit this will tick Rogue off when she finds out. Even if we're doing it for her own good," Tabitha spoke up.

"But how could she stay angry vith us? Ve are doing it vizh zhe best of intentions," Kurt put in.

"Can't we like, let her in on this ahead of time?"

"I'm afraid not, Kitty. If Rogue has even a hint that the serum isn't an absolute cure, she'll go back to being untouchable as soon as it wears off. The purpose of this plan is to make her believe that she is finally _truly_ touchable. That way when I approach her with the truth, she'll be more likely to accept that she was able to turn her mutation off just by believing that the serum had cured her. With some training after that I'll be able to show her how easily she can go from using her mutation when she needs to and simply shutting it off to be a normal young woman," the Professor said.

"It sounds great in theory, luvs, but…" Brian trailed off as everyone turned to look at him.

"But what, doll?" Tabitha asked her boyfriend as she moved forward to ruffle his hair.

"This could very easily explode in our faces if anything happens that our theory doesn't allow for."

"Like what," Betsy asked her brother.

"Like what if the serum doesn't work or doesn't last long enough for Rogue to actually believe her mutation is gone?"

"Bloody 'ell, Bri, did you have to be such a bloody voice of reason here?!" Betsy stormed from the room, thinking her plan had again been shot to bits.

"Do you really think that could happen, Brian?" Tabby asked worriedly.

He reluctantly nodded his blonde head and focused on Hank.

"What kind of guarantees can you give us for that juice, guv?"

"Only one way to know for sure," Hank picks up the vial he'd had already made. "Who's going first?"

Automatically they all turned to Kurt whose mutation was the most obvious.

He gulped nervously then took off his image inducer until he was his natural fuzzy-blue-elf self.

"Bottoms up vright?" he joked as he took the vial and quickly swallowed it's contents. 

"Mein Gott! Please tell me you've got anozher flavor?!" he gasped as the thick liquid slide down his throat.

Normally they would have laughed at the face he made, but they were all too stunned by the transformation instantly taking place right before their eyes.

"How can it - " Jean asked Hank as Kurt soon became an almost carbon copy of himself when he wore his image inducer.

"I don't know." The man replied, surprised by the turn of events himself.

"Vhat?!" Kurt dropped the vial to the floor and touched the face everyone was staring at.

"You're…like….normal," Kitty answered slowly.

"Vhat?!" he repeated before trying to teleport into his room to check his reflection in a mirror.

He groaned when he found his trusty ability to be absent and looked frantically around the room.

"Vhere's a mirror?!"

"Here, here. Calm down, blue boy," Tabby ordered as she offered him her compact.

Kurt snapped it open and stared at himself in the tiny mirror in silence for a moment.

"Mein Gott, it fixed everyzhing," he whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Speaking: Is that idea a bit much d'ya think? Personally I like it, I mean WOW instants all inclusive results with this nifty little serum, but they're only temporary so I think it balances out to be jussst this side of believable. If not, I'll subcategorize this baby as a fantasy and go from there. :-P More chapters are in the works, but I must confess I've got a nasty cold at the moment and am chugging Day & Nyquil so I may take a day or so off from writing. 

*Runs from Nesa* Put that whip away child!

Also, if any of this story gets kind of jumbled please let me know because I have every intention of rereading it when I'm fully coherent again and revising if and as needed. :-) Thank ya much!


	7. Green Light to Mission Launch

**__**

Green Light to Mission Launch

__

~~ Betsy, I think you may want to come back down here. ~~

Elizabeth jumped into a sitting position on her bed where she'd been moping for the past hour and looked around, confused for a moment.

__

~~ Professor? ~~

~~ Yes, Betsy, it's me. Come back to the lab, we all have a surprise for you. ~~

At those words, she leapt from the bed and rushed below as fast as she could to see what was going on.

The lab door seemed to open extra slowly for her and she stood tapping her foot waiting to be let in.

Her foot stopped mid-tap when she saw into the room.

It was…the Twilight Zone.

Everyone was laughing and chattering excitedly.

Scott had his sunglasses off and was looking around the room with chocolate brown eyes.

Kurt was running around without his inducer on and still he looked … normal.

Kitty was laughingly walking into things and jumping back each time to cry out, "I can't phase through it!"

Jean was making the kind of sweeping motions with her hands that she did when she wanted to move something telepathically and then frowning at those hands when nothing happened.

Tabitha was blowing into her cupped hands like she did whenever she wanted to make a little round charge and then opening her hands up to reveal nothing.

"What is going on here?"

"The serum works!" Jean, Kitty and Tabitha all exclaimed together.

"Yeah, for vone hour and counting, it has not vorn off," Kurt announced.

Betsy's eyes turned to Hank who was working furiously over his chemistry vials and Bunsen burner.

He was still all big and blue.

__

Why - ?

"Brian, Hank and myself all opted out of testing this little concoction," the Professor said as he moved to her side. 

"They all…?"

"That they did, luv. The goofballs have been acting like tiny tots almost since you left," Brian said with a smile as he threw an arm across her shoulders and kept his attention on the others' antics.

"Oh….this is perfect!" Betsy moved away from him to exclaim. "Once Rogue sees this she'll be screaming for us to give her the serum!"

"I'm afraid Rogue cannot see this, Elizabeth. All we're doing right now is testing the serum to see how long it's effects actually last. Were Rogue to see them like this now and then see them with their powers again tomorrow, our whole plan would be ruined," the Professor said firmly.

"Then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't see them with their powers again, luv," Betsy argued.

"Whoa, count be out, Betsy, I'm already missing my mutation," Jean said, pouting when she couldn't telekinetically pull a chair over to sit in.

Kitty and Tabitha both spoke up to quickly say that they'd only agreed to see how long the stuff lasted, nothing more.

Betsy sighed then focused on Kurt and Scott who hadn't spoken up yet.

"Ok, luvs, you two will do it," she said to them.

"Do vhat?" Kurt asked.

"Convince Rogue that the serum works."

"How exactly would we do that?" Scott asked her.

Betsy smiled and looked over at Hank as he put the finishing touches on another batch of this serum.

"How much of that stuff have you got, Hank?"

The man turned to look at her curiously.

"How much do you think you'll need?"

"Enough to keep those two mutation free for a few days while we get Rogue to believe this stuff is permanent," Betsy said with a smile.

"Vhoa! I like mein powers. Zhe fuzziness is a bit of a bummer, but zhe teleporting vrules. I don't vant to go vithout zhem for days," Kurt said.

"Sorry, luv, but the way I figure it we've got to have at least two people on this stuff for Rogue to believe it and I'm afraid you've been volunteered."

"Dude, zhis ist zhe last time I help vith vone of your crazy schemes," he said sighing.

"I think it's pretty cool, personally," Scott said to no one in particular.

Brian came to stand beside his sister.

"What's the plan now, luv?" he asked.

"First, we see how long this stuff lasts," she answered.

~*~*~

With the exception of the Professor, who'd retired to his room around midnight, everyone spent the night in the lab.

Scott was the first to wake up in the morning and his blasting the ceiling when he opened his eyes woke the others.

"My power's back," he stated the obvious as squeezed his eyes shut and felt around him for his sunglasses.

"Yes, Scott, I noticed the effects wearing off on Kurt two hours ago," Hank said as he sat at his computer typing something.

"Ugh, mein head. It ist pounding," Kurt said rubbing his aching blue forehead. "Vhat time is it?"

"8:30," Hank replied.

"So this stuff lasted what ... twelve hours," Scott asked as he rubbed his own aching head.

"Approximately, yes. It's hard to tell if the length of time was the same with you all as you were sleeping when the effects most likely wore off, but I'm going to assume that it was in that area for everyone."

Hank finished whatever he was doing and rose to come over to the barely awake teens.

"How do you all feel this morning?"

"I need aspirin stat, man, my head is killing me," Tabitha groaned against Brian's shoulder.

Jean and Kitty also complained of an extreme headache.

"Hmmm," Dr. McCoy went to get some aspirin for them all. 

"All things considered, I think that's a pretty common and acceptable side effect," he said after dispensing the pain reliever to those who'd tried the serum.

"Easy for you to say," Kurt groaned, "You're not zhe vone vizh a voodpecker beating at your skull."

Betsy watched this entire scene then rose to stretch out the kinks in her body from the awkward position she'd slept in that night.

"What do you blokes say to grabbing some breakfast then starting our little mission?" she asked Kurt and Scott.

Kurt turned his yellow eyes to glare at her and even through his ruby red shades, she could tell Scott was glaring as well.

~*~*~

With their headaches gone, breakfasts eaten and serums taken again Kurt and Scott went in search of Rogue to carry out their part of the mission.

They found her cursing in the kitchen where the Professor had put her to work washing the breakfast dishes.

Scott entered the room first.

Knowing it would annoy her, he grabbed one of the glasses she'd just washed then went to the fridge to fill the glass with orange juice and drink it down.

"Could you be any ruder?" she snarled as he immediately gave her the glass that he'd just dirtied for her to wash again.

He crossed his arms over his chest, leant back against the counter beside her and just smiled like he had the world's biggest secret.

She threw the washrag into the sudsy water she was working in and reached for a towel to dry her bare hands while she glared at him.

"What are you up to?" 

"Why would you think I'm up to something, Rogue?" he countered.

She scowled at him for evading the question and he lifted his sunglasses up to his forehead to wink at her playfully before slowly lowering the ruby shades to cover his eyes again.

It happened pretty quickly, but Rogue was able to catch on to two facts.

There had been no optic blast or glowing red eyes when he lifted those glasses.

"What the - ?"

Kurt entered the room then and she hesitated over asking the question with someone else present.

As his typical image induced self, he walked over to her and did the exact same thing Scott had.

Snagged one of the glasses she'd just washed and used it to get a drink of milk.

"Ahh. Nozhing like a nice healtzee glass of milk for a growing boy, eh, sizter?"

"Kurt, Ah am not your - "

Her automatic reprimand of her adopted younger brother for again misconstruing their relationship as an actual blood tie stilled on her lips as she plainly saw that he wore no inducer on his left wrist like he always did.

And still he looked … normal.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Scott jumped guiltily as she snarled out the question.

Kurt looked at the wrist she was glaring at before spewing a mouthful of milk and dropping the glass to cover his bare wrist.

"Aw, dude, zhe Profezzor is goink to kill us! Ve veren't supposed to let anyvone know until later," Kurt moaned as he dramatically slapped his forehead.

Scott slumped down to lean even more against the counter.

"Looks like we really let this cat out of the bag, Kurt," he sighed.

Later Rogue would think back and see how phony their actions and reactions were, but in the heat of the moment she was too curious.

"What are you talking about? Weren't supposed ta let anyone know what?"

The duo looked at each other, then the fuming Rogue who glared at them with her hands balled into fists on her hips, then back at each other with weary shrugs.

"We're testing a serum for Hank," Scott confessed.

"You're … What?!"

"Hank has developed a serum zhat can suppress our mutations. Permanently. Ve have volunteered to test it out for him to zee if it vorks," Kurt said as he looked down at his feet, which he was currently shifting nervously.

"Whoa…" 

She shifted her stance until she had her left arm wrapped around her waist and the right one propped on it as she tapped her chin thoughtfully with the index finger of her right hand.

"You're telling me," she turned disbelieving green eyes on Scott, "that your eyes ain't like nuclear anymore?"

Scott made a big show of cringing guiltily under her intense stare and dropping his head to stare at the floor for a moment. Then, still looking downward, he lifted his hands to remove his ruby red shades completely before lifting his eyes to lock with Rogue's.

"Oh. Mah. Gawd."

She took in his harmless brown eyes and kind of slumped against the kitchen counter in shock then turned to Kurt.

"And your fur…your tail….gosh, your yellow eyes and pointy ears are all gone?"

"Oh yes, I also have the normal five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot now," he wiggling said fingers in front of her face. "Zhe only drawback is I can no longer teleport."

Rogue moved around the kitchen to pull a chair from the table and flop down into it as she held her head in her hands and wondered if this was some dream she was in.

"No dream, luv," Betsy strolled into the room smiling. "Big blue's figured out just the potion to help with our powers."

"Potion?" Rogue asked her friend, still in shock.

"Yes, luv," Betsy nodded her purple haired head.

"Have you taken it too?"

"Afraid not. The Professor felt that it was a man's job to test out such a new thing and blah blah blah."

"But it's working, right?" Rogue looked up at where Kurt and Scott had been standing at the counter only to see them trying to sneak out of the kitchen unnoticed while she was talking to Betts.

"Hold it rahght there ya yahoos," she ordered.

The duo stopped dead in their tracks and turned to face her.

"Aw, man, zhis is vhy mein mutation ist a good zhing," Kurt moaned.

"If you like your powers so much, why'd ya agree to test this stuff?" Rogue demanded.

The three people in the room with her froze like deer caught in headlights and obviously scrambled to find some answer in their heads.

"There's an antidote!" Betsy cried out and the guys looked at her before nodding furiously.

"Yeah. Vonce ve are sure zhat zhis vorks, I take a little sip of zhe antidote and all fuzzy dude again," Kurt said with a nervous chuckle.

"Ah've got an even better idea," Rogue said with a smile. "How about Ah take over the testing for you and you go ahead and take the antidote. Ah mean, it's the least Ah can do for my little brother if you want your powers back, rahght?"

The trio around her hid triumphant smiles and tried to look serious.

"I don't know, luv, that's really something Hank and the Professor would have to decide," Betsy said biting her lower lip.

"Let's go see them then," Rogue said, grabbing her friend's covered shoulder to drag her from the room.

In the kitchen Kurt and Scott exchanged a series of high fives.

"Aw, man, zhat vas perfect," Kurt crowed.

"Dude, you almost totally blew it with the mourning your mutation," Scott reminded.

"Hey, dude, Betzy totally zaved it. Ve had Vrogue believing every vord of it. Ve rock!" he started doing his happy dance until Scott groaned and left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mishka Speaking: Um…..this chapter may seem a little….I dunno…off topic or something, but it's what came to me as I was writing so for now, I'm gonna go with it. If it doesn't really fit in with the story when I reread it, I'll rewrite and hopefully come up with something that I find as amusing without cold meds as I found this one while on the meds. :-P 

What have I planned next?

Mall mania when the X-Grrls featured in this story (Betsy, Jean, Kitty, and Tabitha) decide that touchable Rogue needs a TOTAL makeover. I'm having a bit of fun writing the chappie, but it may take me another day to get something I feel to be ready for uploading. :)


	8. Touchable Rogue

**__**

Touchable Rogue

__

~~ That was quick. ~~

Betsy smiled broadly at the Professor as he sent that thought to her when she and Rogue entered the lab.

__

~~ Told you it would work like a charm, luv. ~~

"Good morning, girls. What are you up to this morning?" Hank asked as he turned to greet them.

"Ah want the serum," Rogue blurted out before blushing. "Ah … Ah mean, Ah'd like to help with your testing so Kurt can get his powers back."

The two men in the room looked curiously at Betsy for an explanation of that statement.

__

~~ Just play along, luvs, and give her the goods. ~~

"Rogue, testing any new formula can be dangerous. Are you sure you're prepared to take part?" the Professor asked.

"Y'all don't seem too concerned about Kurt and Scott testing the stuff out. Ah can handle it and Ah'd make just as good a test subject as either of them," she huffed.

The two men exchanged looks of feigned concern and hesitation before nodding.

Appearing to reluctantly accept this course of action, Hank turned to his worktable and picked up a vial.

He then turned slowly to offer the serum to Rogue.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked gravely.

Rogue stared at the vial as it laid in his big furry palm, thought about Scott whose dangerous eyes were no longer dangerous, and nodded quickly while snatching the serum up.

Without hesitating she removed the lid and gulped down the thick, vile tasting concoction with only a grimace of disgust at the taste.

Betsy looked at the Professor.

__

~~ Go ahead. It begins working almost the second the first drop touches the tongue. ~~

With his reassurance, Betsy reached out to take her friend's bare hand in her own.

"It works just lahke that?" Rogue asked, amazed that Betsy could already touch her bare flesh.

"Just like that, luv," Betsy released Rogue's hand to throw her arms around the girl's neck and hug her. "You're cured, Rogue!"

Rogue's arms hung limply at her sides for a moment as the reality sank in.

Betsy's bare cheek was pressed against her own and there was no pull.

Her mutation was … gone.

"Oh mah gawd," she whispered disbelievingly.

"Come on, luv, this is a great thing. Smile!" Betsy pulled back to order.

At her friend's words, Rogue did smile.

A small, hesitant smile that quickly grew into huge, glowing smile that touched her lips and eyes.

Then she was laughing.

Then Betsy was laughing.

Then the girls were hugging and laughing and dancing around the room.

Hank and the Professor watched their celebration with smiles upon their own faces.

__

~~ I do believe this is going to work out just right. ~~

The men exchanged very pleased glances and Hank nodded his agreement at the Professor's statement.

~*~*~

"So you're, like, touchable?" Kitty exclaimed, appearing to be amazed by this news.

Rogue nodded rapidly and Kitty hesitantly reached out her bare fingers to touch her friend's cheek.

"Cool," the girl said when there was no pull at the contact.

"It's incredible," Jean sighed with a secret wink to Betsy.

"This totally rocks, Rogie!" Tabitha gushed as she jumped up to hug Rogue.

Soon Rogue was the laughing and smiling center of attention, being hugged and fawned over by the girls who were gathered in her bedroom with her.

"You know what we've got to do now, don't you?" Tabitha pulled back to smile wickedly at the group.

Betsy turned her gleaming blue eyes to look at the blonde girl.

"Oooooh, you're so right, luv!" She exclaimed jumping up to stand beside Tabby.

"What are you two going on about?" Rogue asked staring at them like they'd flipped their lids.

"SHOPPING SPREE!" the duo cried out as one.

Jean and Kitty jumped up clapping and started chattering excitedly, as they loved the idea.

"What?" Rogue was openly puzzled at their actions.

"A makeover, Rogue! You can be touched now, so you, like, need a whole new wardrobe!" Kitty informed her.

Rogue looked down at the outfit she was wearing – her usual sheer green top over a purple undershirt, short black skirt and black leggings.

"What's wrong with mah wardrobe?"

Betsy moved to kneel on the floor beside where Rogue sat on the bed, took her friend's hands in her, looked into her friend's pale green eyes and bit her bottom lip as she tried to think of the best way to express her thoughts.

"Well … no offense, luv, but … it's … well it's …" she turned to look over her shoulder at the others for help.

"Dark?" Jean ventured

"Unimaginative?" Tabby suggested.

"Too concealing?" Kitty said.

Betsy smiled at the last suggestion and turned back to Rogue.

"Exactly. Its too concealing, luv. You're touchable now, Rogue. You don't have to hide your skin anymore and we need to get you some hot new fashions to show it off so all the blokes around here can get an idea of what they've been missing."

"But," Rogue began as her friends pulled her up off the bed and started out of the room, "I don't want these blokes to know what they've been missing!"

~*~*~

During the short drive to the mall in Jean's SUV Betsy, Jean, Kitty and Tabitha ignored all of Rogue's attempted protests and talked on and on about where they wanted to shop and what she'd look best in.

When they found a parking space and started dragging Rogue into the mall, she knew she had no choice in the matter.

They were making her a mission.

A project.

And these girls never started a project without finishing it.

Rogue cursed them creatively for having that persistence.

The group stepped into the bustling shopping complex and Betsy stopped just inside the doors to gaze happily at their surroundings.

"You Americans sure do know how to spend your money," she gushed, watching people enter and leave shops loaded down with shopping bags.

Suddenly a whistle from the upper levels drew their attention moments before Pietro appeared at Betsy's side. The others were rocked by the gust of air that followed in Quicksilver's wake.

"Ha. I knew you couldn't resist coming here some time this week," the platinum haired Romeo said as he wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder and kissed her cheek.

Betsy smiled up at him and blushed prettily, causing the other girls to roll their eyes and look away.

Kitty spotted Lance coming down the escalator and, after throwing an apologetic look at the others, rushed to go greet her boyfriend.

"Oh brother. We'll never get any shopping done now," Tabitha groaned.

Rogue mentally cheered at that and Betsy pulled away from Pietro to glare at her friend.

"There isn't a chance in this world that you'll get off that easily, luv," she stated having picked up on Rogue's thoughts.

"What are you gals up to?" Pietro asked, curious now after seeing the face Rogue made at Betsy's comment.

"We're giving our girl here a makeover," Tabitha said as she wrapped an arm around Rogue's waist.

"Oh really? No more goth girl, eh?" he chuckled until Betsy elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

He looked down with a frown at his glaring girlfriend and shrugged as if to say, "What did I do?"

She continued to glare and so he just dipped his head to kiss her lips until she went all soft and limp in his arms.

Again the others girls looked away.

And they immediately saw Kitty locked in a heated embrace with Lance at the bottom of the escalators.

"This is gonna take a while," Jean sighed.

"Let's hit the arcade!" Tabitha suggested.

Jean chuckled and shook her head.

"Count me out of that. I think we should go ahead and start without them," the redhead said.

"Tha arcade sounds swell ta me. Ah could really go for playin' some foosball," Rogue leapt at Tabby's alternative.

"Oh no you don't," Betsy said from behind them.

The purple haired girl quickly pulled herself from her boyfriend's arms, promised she'd call him later then said a quick goodbye before snagging Rogue by the arm and pulling her further into the mall.

"You girls grab Kitty," she ordered Jean and Tabitha.

Grinning wickedly Tabitha rushed to do just that.

She and Jean each grabbed the startled girl by an arm and drug her away from her boyfriend who was left standing there, arms in midair and lips still puckered from their kiss.

"Wha - " Lance exclaimed at the sudden loss of his girl.

"Sorry, luv, we need her more right now," Betsy called out to him over her shoulder as the group started up the escalators.

"I'll call you tonight," Kitty finally snapped out of her daze to promise him as the distance between them grew.


	9. The Wonders of Plastic

Quick lil warning – This is where things shall begin getting a liiiiiittle naughty. 

Also, I totally have to thank Destiny Phoenix for your review! I came up with the whole theory on Rogue's mutation as I was writing this piece and as I thought about it it really began to make sense. I'm glad you found it interesting. :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

The Wonders of Plastic

"What's your preference, luv, pants or skirts or dresses?" Betsy asked as they entered their first store and the girls split up to begin scanning the racks of clothing.

Rogue simply crossed her arms over her chest, blew a strand of hair away from her face and frowned at her friend.

"Don't say I didn't try to give you some choice in all this, luv," Betsy said as she began pulling out outfits she felt would do best for Rogue.

Suddenly she shoved a pile of clothing into the other girl's arms and steered her toward the dressing rooms.

"Try this lot on and I'll be back with more," Betsy ordered as she shoved Rogue through a door and into the cramped space of the changing room.

__

More, Rogue thought, horrified as she stared at what she already had.

~*~*~

Under the watchful eye of the saleslady manning the shop, the next hour was spent with bunches of clothing being passed by Betsy, Jean, Kitty and Tabitha into Rogue's dressing room.

After each new delivery the girl was forced by her friends to step from the cubicle and model the selections so that each girl could decide which ones should be bought for her.

Rogue argued almost every outfit they had her try and sometimes they agreed and had the selections returned to the racks. For the most part though, the outfits were added to the growing pile at the counter.

On the rare occasions Rogue actually liked an outfit from the store, the girls almost unanimously rejected it.

Finally, after trying on virtually everything the trendy place had to offer they let her slip back into her own clothes and leave the dressing room. She then went with them all to pay for what they'd chosen and stared wide-eyed at the amount of clothing that lay next to the cash register.

"This is way too much, ya guys," she protested thinking simply in terms of cost.

"Not at all, luv. It's all on me," Betsy said as she slid the cashier her gold card.

The numerous purchases were quickly rung up and a stunningly large amount was charged to that credit card.

"Ahh, the wonders of plastic!" Betsy gushed as the girls left the shop laden with packages. 

~*~*~

"Aren't we done yet?" Rogue moaned as the others began pulling her up from the table that they'd just finished eating lunch at.

"Just three more places and you're going to love these ones. I swear, luv," Betsy assured her.

The other girls giggled at that, knowing full well that Betsy had saved the best for last, until Rogue glared at them furiously and they fell silent.

When she finally gave in and rose to her feet, they turned to exchange smiles behind her back.

In the five hours they'd been there so far they'd hit three other clothing stores after the first one, two shoe shops, three places for accessories and another for make-up and hair-care products. 

They were all feeling a little worn out from running around the mall and lugging their purchases out to the car to free up themselves up to carry more, but knowing what was to come gave them all the energy to continue and keep pushing Rogue along.

~*~*~

Rogue was actually quite happy as they urged her into the leather shop she'd gazed at longingly when they passed it an hour or so ago.

Inside they found a delightful collection of leather boots, dresses, jackets, pants, shirts, skirts and vests.

__

This is what Logan's kinda woman would wear, she thought as she inhaled the fragrance of brand new leather that permeated the store.

Betsy and Jean both heard the thought and exchanged mental high fives for deciding to enter the place.

While they were primarily there to find things for Rogue, none of the girls could resist trying on a sexy tight leather outfit for themselves.

They all left with those outfits and several more for Rogue.

They'd chosen black, brown, green, purple, and some red for the girl to wear and gotten her boots, jackets, pants and skirts in each of those colors.

The bill for everything they carried out left all the girls a little shell shocked, but Betsy quickly reassured them.

"Not to worry, luvs. I'm positively loaded. We could do this every week if you like."

Rogue nearly fainted at the thought.

~*~*~

Their next destination had Rogue putting her foot down.

And again being completely ignored.

"Ah don't need anything from here," she protested vehemently as they pulled her into the Victoria's Secret store.

"I've never gone peeping at your knickers, luv, but I'm willing to bet they're mighty dull. You've got to start thinking of yourself as the desirable woman you are and nothing does that better than lingerie," Betsy argued.

"Yeah, Rogue, it's like essential," Kitty said.

They all paused to look at the younger girl and she blushed.

"Like, I'm not the only one at the mansion who shops here you know!" she stared pointedly at the three other girls who frequented the store.

"You shop here?" Rogue asked.

"Sometimes. I, like, really prefer the selection at Frederick's, but this place is nice for some things."

At that, Betsy, Jean and Tabitha all nodded then began discussing the differences between the two popular lingerie retailers.

Rogue just looked at them and groaned.

The sound got their attention and they instantly yanked her inside the store.

Once among the delicate garments of silk and lace, she became a captivated shopper, though.

Sighing with delight she stroked the fabrics that made up sexy slips and nightgowns and flirty babydolls and teddies.

The other girls watched her fall under the store's spell and grinned wickedly.

There was nothing else quite like exposing a fellow female to these naughty delights.

Though she protested that she'd never have reason to wear such things, Rogue left the store with a small assortment of thongs, demi bras, slips, chemises, sexy nightgowns, teddies, garter belts and silky thigh high stockings.

~*~*~

Much to everyone's relief and excitement they were finally at their last shop.

Frederick's of Hollywood.

There was no hesitation on Rogue's part about entering another lingerie store after her experience at Victoria's Secret.

This store was much larger and the selection more varied, instantly letting Rogue know why Kitty preferred it and Betsy had saved it for last.

She saw racks of nightgowns, teddies, corsets, bustiers, babydolls, chemises, slips, and sexy costumes.

All kinds of bras and panties lined shelves and tables.

Then there were the boots, shoes and wigs along the back walls.

It was a wonderland and as Rogue entered it she began to believe that maybe this could be a way to get Logan to notice her as more than a kid or teammate.

She picked a delightfully flirty red harem girl costume off the rack and sighed with the knowledge that the man she wanted was highly unlikely to ever see her in such an outfit.

__

Don't fret my pet. We're trying to help you reach that goal, Betsy thought as she watched her friend.

Rogue looked up at her suddenly and Betsy gasped, thinking she'd projected the thought.

"When would anyone ever wear something like this?" Rogue said sarcastically as she waved the outfit at Betsy and tried to deny to herself how much she'd like to have it.

"Oh, I can think of a few times and places, luv," Betsy said as she moved to take the hanger. "If they had it in another color, I'd get one and knock my Pie's socks off."

With that in mind, she flipped though the costumes on the rack until she found a black genie outfit, which was rather similar to Rogue's selection.

Rogue picked her jaw up off the floor from her shock at Betsy's actions and she whispered, "You mean you two are - "

"No no no. Not yet. The whole point of everything here is to be ready for when it happens, luv. When you've lined up the man you want if you go after him wearing something like this he'll be putty in your hands."

Rogue thought of Logan being putty in her hands and took her red costume back. She hesitated and picked out one of the genie costumes Betsy had chosen.

"Where are the dressing rooms here?"

Betsy bit her lip to suppress a chuckle and motioned in the direction Rogue needed to go.

As she watched her friend make her way to one of the tiny rooms she saw each of the other girls put something more in her arms for Rogue to try on.

Their time in this last shop passed very much like the time did in their first one.

Rogue stayed in the dressing room and tried on the naughty little garments that were passed in to her.

Unlike the first store though, they didn't demand she come out and model the outfits for them to judge. They all knew she was enjoying this enough to choose the right garments herself.

For the most part.

She rejected the pink bikini briefs that had a pair of red lips with "Kiss This" written over them on the back right cheek as well as the purple thong that had a pink pair of lips with the caption "Hey Baby" on the front, but the girls unanimously agreed they were must haves once they heard the items fit. 

They also overruled her on the Pearl Cami Set, String of Flowers Babydoll, Georgette Fly-Away Gown, crotchless panties, thigh high boots, and platform sandals.

Rogue surprised them all by being the one to add a few bodysuits, crotchless and suspender style pantyhose and feather boas.

After the other girls took a few moments to select some goodies for themselves, they left the store with all their purchases and finally put the mall behind them as they headed back to the mansion.

If Rogue had been a Catholic she would have rushed straight to confession and broke down to a priest about all she'd purchased that day, in those last two shops, and the impure thoughts that had inspired many of those purchases.

She was utterly exhausted and fell right to sleep after they all unloaded the parcels from Jean's SUV, carried them to Rogue's bedroom and put all the new items away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Speaking: All readers, I highly recommend y'all check out the Frederick's of Hollywood website to get an exact image of the items I write of in that last section. The url is Ladies…I shop there and can vouch for the quality and success of their lingerie. ;-) Don't ever let mah mother know about that though!


	10. Now For Logan

**__**

Now For Logan

With the exception of Rogue who couldn't be woken, the girls drug themselves into the dining room for dinner.

Their bodies were toned and trained to take all kinds of abuse in battle, but there was something about shopping that could wear them out like nothing else.

Logan watched them flop into chairs and tiredly begin filling their plates with an arched black brow.

"What have you girls been doing all day?"

Kitty stifled a yawn, put some vegetables on her plate and answered, "We took Rogue shopping."

"What for?" he growled.

"Everything," Tabitha replied as she dug into her meal.

He frowned at all that that answer could possibly mean and Betsy decided she should fill him in a bit.

"Our Rogue's wardrobe was getting a tad old so we took her to the mall for a makeover, luv. We got the works – make-up, jewelry, fab clothes, leather and linger … eh, you get the idea," she looked down at her plate with a faux blush like that last bit had been an accidental slip of her tongue.

Logan sat there with a forkful of steak hovering near his parted lips as his mind became filled with images of Rogue and leather and linger … eh.

Jean's eyes widen at some of the images swirling through his head and she stared at him until Betsy kicked her under the table.

__

~~ No looking at that! ~~

Jean blushed guiltily at the reprimand and wondered if Scott would have such vivid thoughts when he learned of the leather addition to her wardrobe.

Betsy laughed suddenly as she followed the other girl's thoughts getting a glare from those green eyes.

__

~~ Oh, but it's all right for you to peep into **my** thoughts like that? ~~

The telepaths glared at each other then collapsed in their chair giggling.

Logan shook his head, muttered something about "kids" and finally ate that bite of steak.

~*~*~

He rarely did these late night bed checks anymore, but Betsy had sent him a rather worried telepathic message that she heard someone messing around downstairs and she wasn't sensing anyone she knew in the lower levels.

So he shook off the remnants of his restless sleep, slid from bed to slip on a pair of sweat pants and moved as quietly as possible downstairs to investigate.

Once in the shadows at the bottom of the stairs he stopped to listen for any unusual sounds.

Logan heard them and they were coming from the darkened kitchen.

Creeping slowly toward that room his nose detected two familiar scents.

Leftovers from dinner and Rogue.

A wicked smile curled his lips as the opportunity to lecture her for sleeping through dinner presented itself and he stepped into the kitchen to deliver that lecture.

Only to swallow his tongue and forget how to speak when he saw her.

Her trim little body was illuminated by the light of the open refrigerator she was bending into and he could easily see what she was wearing.

Little covering as it was to his way of thinking.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he finally snarled, his eyes still locked on the silky garment.

Rogue shrieked, nearly choked on the mouthful of chicken she had, hit her head on the freezer door as she straightened away from the fridge and dropped the wing she'd been munching on to the floor.

Lacking any other option, she spit the food in her mouth into her hand and glared at him while she coughed over what had slid down her throat.

"Are ya tryin' to kill me?!"

He stared pointedly at her nightgown and resisted the urge to ask her that same question.

Noticing his stare, she froze.

Completely.

Then her eyes slowly slid shut and she began to silently pray that she hadn't given in to the urge she'd had upon waking from her nap to slip into one of the sexy nightgowns Betsy had bought her.

Taking a deep breath, she dropped her head downward and cracked one eye open to look at herself.

The eye closed again the second in took in the image of her body clad in nothing but the Lace-Up Satin Gown with it's V-neck, lattice ties up the side from her hips to under her arms and the long open slits down her legs. 

She thought of playing it cool – acting like she knew she could have gotten caught running around the mansion like this by someone and sooo didn't care.

She thought of trying her hand at being a seductress and giving him some come on along the lines of, "Ya like what ya see, shuga?"

She thought of a few different scenarios, but what she actually did was duck and run.

~*~*~

Logan stared after her then picked up the chicken she'd dropped, threw the food away and shut the refrigerator door.

As he did so, his sensitive ears picked up some familiar laughter.

Scowling, he followed the sound to find Betsy and Jean practically rolling on the floor laughing in the hallway outside the kitchen.

"Was that your idea?" he asked them.

Both girls were startled into silence by his appearance and the question.

"What?" Betsy asked innocently.

"You think I don't recognize a set up when I see one, girl?"

Jean's eyes widened with horror and she looked at the other girl.

__

~~ Stay cool. ~~

~~ He's on to us, Elizabeth! ~~

~~ He hasn't a clue, luv. He only thinks I arranged this little episode as a prank. ~~

"What are you up to?" he demanded of them as their mental discussion left him in silence.

"Nothing really, luv. I had no idea that's what would happen when I sent you down here. I swear," Betsy said.

"You knew it was Rogue messin' around down here, though," he stated.

Both girls nodded.

"We had no idea she'd be wearing anything we bought her today, though," Jean confessed.

Logan sensed their sincerity and began thinking about her admission.

"D'ya get her a lot of that stuff today?"

The girls rejoiced at his interest in that area, but they had to play it cool.

"Um … that's really not for us to say, luv," Betsy said nervously.

"I … I think it's time we got to bed," Jean rose to her feet, also playing at being nervous in this situation. "It getting pretty late and we've had a tiring day."

It was on the tip of his tongue to make a remark about how they should have thought about that before their little game, but they darted around him and ran upstairs before he could utter the words.

"Kids," he growled as he too headed to the upper level to return to sleep.

~*~*~

"Whoa! Would you look at that?!" Scott exclaimed suddenly.

Logan lifted his head from the engine of the van he was working on to look at the young man.

From the other side of the vehicle, Kurt let out a long loud wolf whistle.

Turning his head in that direction Logan saw they both appeared to be staring at the same thing and he moved out from under the hood of the van to see what had their attention.

He picked up a grease rag and absently wiped his greasy hands on it before his gaze followed theirs.

To land on Rogue.

His hands stilled and the rag dropped forgotten to the ground as he stared at her.

She was standing very self-consciously in the center of her group of gal pals in an outfit they'd obviously selected for and forced onto her.

His eyes devoured all the pale flesh left exposed by the green tube and skintight emerald green leather pants.

He applauded their choice even as he wondered what the hell they were thinking leaving her skin unprotected.

"Good thing the Professor fixed her skin," Scott said to Kurt behind him, almost as if reading Logan's thoughts.

The man turned to stare at the pair.

"What are ya talkin' about?"

Kurt turned to hide a smile with a cough and Scott leaned cockily against the van's bumper.

"Hank and the Professor gave Rogue a cure for her mutation yesterday," the older boy said. "Works pretty good on me, too."

At those words, Scott pushed his trademark sunglasses up over his forehead to rest atop his head and he gave a shocked Logan a wink of his harmless right eye.

The man glared at the boy suspiciously then turned to Rogue who was being fawned over by her friends.

Those friends were reaching out their bare hands to touch Rogue's bare arms and shoulders.

Without even thinking before he acted, Logan strode over to that group, grabbed Rogue's bare arm himself and stormed into the mansion with her dragging behind him.

She sputtered and demanded explanations at his actions, but he just kept moving until they were down in the lab with Hank.

"Explain," he ordered the big blue man.

Hank turned to face his unexpected guests and looked curiously at the way Logan was clutching Rogue against him.

"Explain what, Logan?" 

"How the hell I can do this," the man growled as he ran a bare finger over the girl's equally bare shoulder, causing Rogue to shiver just a bit.

He was left momentarily speechless by the uncontrolled show of aroused reaction from the girl at Logan's caress and just gaped at the couple until Logan growled impatiently for an answer.

Hank cleared his throat and focused his thoughts on the ruse that the team was working on carrying out.

"I've developed a serum that I believe will permanently cure dangerous mutations. Kurt and Scott were testing it, but Kurt began to miss his powers and Rogue has volunteered to take his place in helping me out. As you can see, her skin is no longer absorbent."

Logan bought it hook, line and sinker.

~*~*~

Outside the conspirators were gushing over their success.

"I do believe we're all set to proceed to the final stages of our plan," Betsy cooed.

The group around her nodded enthusiastically.

At his nod, Scott's sunglasses fell from their perch upon his head down to the ground.

Jean huffed and used her powers to pick them up and place them over his eyes again.

"Don't get too used to this, doll. Remember it's only temporary and we can't have the others seeing you like that and asking all kinds of questions. We're only doing this to fool Rogue," she lectured her boyfriend.

He frowned at the reminder that as soon as Rogue was convinced that she could control his deadly eyes would be back. 

Sensing how the reminder effected him, Jean slipped under his arm, snuggled up against his side and began projecting all kinds of thoughts into his mind until he led her off so they could be along.

The others rolled their eyes after the couple then returned their focus to planning "the date."


	11. Final Preparations

**__**

Final Preparations

~~ Ok, guv, you ready to roll? ~~

Betsy sensed the Professor's exasperated sigh at her question from wherever he was lurking in the mansion before he responded.

__

~~ Yes, I am, Elizabeth. I'll make my move at your cue. ~~

~~ Good show, luv! We're making ours now. ~~

With that, Jean, Kitty, Tabitha and she all barged into Rogue bedroom.

~*~*~

"Ah don't see whah Ah have to get all dressed up just to go out ta dinner with y'all." 

They ignored Rogue's griping as they started riffling through her new wardrobe, picking out an outfit – complete with the underwear they felt she should wear – and then sitting her down to do her hair and make-up.

"Trust us, luv, no girl in her right mind would ever go out on the town and night without pulling out all the stops to make sure she catches some bloke's attention," Betsy said as she smiled over the outfit they'd selected for the night.

"Ah never used ta bother," Rogue groaned as Tabitha scrubbed off her gothic make-up.

"Of course you didn't, luv. You've not been in your right mind until these last few days. You've been all goth and mopey thinking you couldn't be touched, but that's changed and so are some of your nasty little habits."

"Yeah, like this make-up, girl," Tabitha said after getting said make-up removed. "I'm totally taking these colors away from you unless you start applying them with more restraint!"

"Totally. I mean, like, even Wanda knows to be more subtle with the stuff," Kitty put in.

Rogue glared at the girls, including Jean who just stood back smiling at it all.

Tabitha sorted through the new make-up they'd gotten Rogue and picked out what she wanted to use, but hesitated before applying anything.

"You really should go ahead and get dressed first," the blonde girl said.

"Good idea," Jean agreed behind them while carrying the clothes over to Rogue with her telekinesis.

The leather pants they'd chosen were the only part of said outfit Rogue agreed with.

"Ah am not wearin' that thong. Ah told y'all not to get it in the first place."

"Oh come on, Rogue, it's just so cute! You'll feel all fun wearing it and it's not like anyone will see you in it," Tabitha argued.

She glared at the purple panties with pink lips and "Hey Baby" written on the front then turned her venom on the shirt they'd selected.

"Ah cahn't even wear a bra with that!"

The stretchy black necklace style halter-top would cover Rogue from her neck to just shy of where her ribs ended and it gaped open at the chest from the triangle cutout there.

While she was glaring at the garment, the other girls took a moment to take a considering look at Rogues' boobs, which made the girl glare furiously at them again.

"You can go without a bra tonight and have no fear of instantly permanent sagging from doing it, luv," Betsy said.

Tabitha frowned thoughtfully.

"How will she have the cleavage showing to really pull off the look, though?"

Betsy and Jean looked thoughtfully at the blonde girl for noticing that potential problem until Jean lit up with an idea.

"I've got just the thing," the redhead exclaimed before fleeing the room.

The older girl was back in moments, rushing into the room with something clutched in her hands.

"I can't believe I didn't think to have you buy this for her when we were shopping, Betsy."

As she spoke those words, Jean opened her hands to present to Rogue the nude colored self-adhesive bra she carried.

"Smashing, luv!" Betsy cooed upon seeing the item.

"What tha heck is that?" Rogue asked.

"It's a nuBra," Jean answered simply. "Don't worry, this is my spare, I've never worn it."

'How am Ah supposed ta wear it?"

"It's like a miracle, I swear," Jean gushed as she knelt beside Rogue to explain the item. "You just put it under your breasts like a regular bra, get them all pushed up so you've got some killer cleavage, then press the bra against your skin until it sticks. After that, it stays on you like glue!"

Rogue's jaw dropped as she stared down at the redhead in shock.

"Just trust me, you'll love it and it'll look fantastic!"

Betsy was a little surprised by the wickedly knowing smile that curled the older girl's lips.

__

~~ You've got quite a bit going on behind the scenes there that we'd never guess about you, don't you luv? ~~

At the fellow telepath's teasing question, Jean remembered herself with a bright red blush.

Becoming her more familiar prim and slightly prissy self, she thrust the bra into Rogue's hands and rose to stand with the others.

The girl sat and stared at the thing she now held as if she expected it to bite.

"No way," she finally said.

"Yes way," the others argued in sync.

"No. WAY."

"YES. WAY."

"Look, if we're goin' out tonahght, Ah'm goin' dressed just as Ah am and that's fahnal," Rogue declared as she dropped the clothes she held to the floor.

While the other girls gasped and gaped at Rogue for doing that, Betsy stepped forward.

"Luv, you better pick those up right now and start putting them on before I bloody embarrass you by doing it for you," the girl threatened with a flick of her head to toss her long purple hair back over her shoulder.

Jean, Kitty and Tabitha were startled by this unexpected turn and simply watched the pair face off.

"You wouldn't dare," Rogue declared.

"Wouldn't I, luv?"

Rogue rose to stand toe to toe with her friend.

"Just you see what happens if ya trah it, toots."

Betsy's blue eyes gleamed with determination and delight.

"Tabby, block the door. Jean and Kitty, grab an arm."

~*~*~

Moments later a dazed and disbelieving Rogue sat still while Tabitha fussed over applying her new make-up.

Her reflection in the mirror spoke volumes about why the other girls were all grinning triumphantly as they watched this.

Right down to the thong and adhesive bra they'd done it.

Without her absorbent skin, Rogue hadn't stood a chance against them as they forcibly dressed her in the clothing they'd selected. 

Kitty's sudden protest at something sank through the shock she felt and Rogue turned her eyes to look at her friend.

"The blush should be more, like, sweeping. We've gotta totally emphasize her cheekbones," the other girl was saying to Tabitha.

When Betsy and Jean quickly agreed with that assessment, the blonde girl roughly removed the blush she'd already applied then put it back on as the others demanded.

That was the finishing touch and they all moved back to admire their work.

"It's a shame we can't do anything with this," Jean said as she picked up a strand of Rogue's hair.

Betsy frowned and knelt beside her friend to look at Rogue's reflection in the mirror.

"Have you ever considered letting it grow out, luv? I bet you'd look smashing with it long and there's not a bloke in the world who can resist the urge to tangle his hands in a gal's silky long tresses."

"She's, like, so right, Rogue," Kitty gushed with a flick of her long brown ponytail. "Plus you looked totally adorable with it long."

Betsy gasped at that and jumped to her feet to gape at Kitty.

"Do you mean to tell me she had it that way and cut it off?"

"No no," the other girl rushed to explain, "The first time she absorbed Sabertooth she got all furry and her hair grew really long. It looked totally great, but the effects just wore off and the hair was gone."

Jean suddenly burst out laughing behind them.

"I remember that! Her nails got all long too and she stayed that way for two days. Logan kept calling her 'she-wolf' and you could hear her squalling all over Bayville when she tried to wax the fur off her legs!"

As the other began joining in on the laughter, Rogue glared at them and rubbed her legs as if she were experiencing the pain of trying to remove that stubborn hair all over again.

~*~*~

The Professor finally received his signal from Betsy and moved to carry out his mission.

He found Logan programming a brutal new simulation into the Danger Room's memory for the X-Men's training exercises.

Charles frowned as he detected some hints of just how brutal the new simulation looked to be from the other man's thoughts, but put any thought of that aside for later discussion.

__

There were more pressing issues at hand, he thought with a hidden smile.

"I'm glad I found you here, Logan. I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it, Chuck?" the man lifted his dark head to ask gruffly.

"I know how you hate 'babysitting,' as you call it, but the older students have planned an outing this evening which I'd like you to supervise."

"Why me, bub?"

The Professor arched a brow at being addressed in such a manner, but had long ago grown used to it from Logan.

"They've chosen to go to a local establishment that is known for catering to a rather rowdy bunch of customers for some dinner and dancing. The police are often called there to handle some disturbance on the weekends. Even though it is a Thursday night and such an event is unlikely to occur, I feel they should have an adult present just in case."

"Send 'Ro," Logan growled as he turned back to what he'd been doing.

"I would if I could, Logan, but I'm afraid she and Hank have already left for a date of their own this evening," he paused, folded his hands together, lifted them until the index fingers tented together and rested thoughtfully against his lips. "That may prove to be a blessing in disguise though. You're much more likely to deter anyone at this establishment from causing the team any problems while they enjoy a nice night out."

Logan stopped his programming to look curiously at the Professor.

"They going to Attica or something?"

The Professor chuckled at the mention of one of New York states' infamous correctional facilities then told Logan the name of the place the group was intending to go tonight.

Logan's eyes widened a bit then narrowed as he frowned upon hearing the Professor mention a bar and grill he often frequented.

"Who's goin'?" he demanded.

Biting back a smile, Charles began reciting the names of everyone taking part, deliberately saving one name for last.

"I'll do it," Logan snarled before stalking furiously from the room to go 'supervise' this outing.

The Professor threw back his bald head and laughed at how the other man had reacted to hearing that Rogue would be among the group he was to watch over.

Just as Betsy had predicted that was all it took to get the man to fall in with their plans.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I know, I'm getting a lil carried away with the silliness, but I find myself on an absolute roll! Don't worry though because I start getting to what we've all been waiting for in the next chapter. Total Logan & Rogue-ness! *cheers along with the audience* 

To my _younger or more sensitive readers_ **PLEASE NOTE** that this will be the last **_"clean"_** chapter for a bit while I get all caught up in writing the … love scenes. 

Muahahahahahaha


	12. THE Date

**__**

THE Date

Logan tore out of the garage on his motorcycle to get to their destination just moments before the conspirators started filing into it.

Tabitha flawlessly delayed Rogue from reaching the building just yet while the others smiled happily as they watched the man leave.

When the sound of his bike faded away into silence, Betsy, Brian, Jean, Kitty, Kurt and Scott all piled into Jean's SUV.

Betsy cued Tabitha and the occupants began complaining loudly about the tight squeeze with everyone inside the vehicle.

Just then, Rogue and Tabitha entered the scene.

Rogue frowned at them while listening to comments like, "I can't breath here" and "Looks like you'll have to keep Tabby on your lap, Brian."

"Why don't we just take tha van?" she broke in to ask.

The group smiled at the minivan that sat in the garage with it's hood upraised. 

For some reason Logan still didn't have it running. Every time he fixed one thing another went wrong. It was almost as if someone were ... sabotaging it.

Kitty coughed to cover a laugh.

They all then focused on the 'X-Van,' the only other vehicle in the garage that could haul them all.

"We're trying to keep a low profile tonight, Rogue," Scott finally answered.

"Then why not just split up and take a few cars?"

They all looked at each other, then Betsy spoke up.

"Smashing idea, luv! We'll go in this and you follow behind us on your motorcycle."

Taking it for granted that the girl would agree to their plan, Tabitha dove into the vehicle to settle on Brian's lap and Jean started the engine.

Rogue simply stood there, in her black leather pants and zipped up jacket, gaping in surprise as the older girl put her SUV into reverse and started leaving the garage.

"Wait for me," she hollered as she snapped to, pulled on her helmet and leapt onto her motorcycle.

~*~*~

They pulled to a stop next to Logan's motorcycle in the parking lot of what Rogue considered a 'Yankee' version of a southern honky tonk.

Staring curiously at the motorcycle beside her, she slid from her own bike and removed her helmet.

Betsy and Kurt tumbled out of the SUV to stand stretching on the pavement.

"Logan's here," she part stated, part asked.

"Looks like he is, luv," Betsy said as she strode over to Rogue's side.

There was a commotion in the SUV and Betsy's purple head whipped around to see what the ruckus was about.

Jean called the telepath back over to the vehicle for something and she shrugged at Rogue.

After a quick exchange that Rogue couldn't hear, Betsy looked over her shoulder to say, "Luv, why don't you and Kurt head on in and snag us a table. My clumsy oaf of a brother has gotten all stuck in here with the girls."

Rogue tucked her keys in the pocket of her jacket and zipped them in while moving curiously over to the vehicle.

Before she could get a look at the situation, Kurt grabbed her arm and pulled her away into the building.

Standing just inside the double doors, her green eyes landed upon Logan as he leant against the bar directly in front of her – his black motorcycle helmet on the wooden surface next to his elbow.

His back was to her, but that was a damn fine view in her opinion.

He was wearing his brown leather jacket, those tight blue jeans that cupped his tight butt like her hands so would love to one day and a pair of black cowboy boots.

As she always did when he wore that outfit around her, Rogue bit her lip and resisted the urge to leapt on him while shouting, "Ride 'em, cowboy!"

Kurt was saying something beside her, but she didn't care what it was.

The man she was staring at so intently turned away from the bar with a bottle of beer in hand to look right back at her.

She jumped a little guiltily at being caught gawking at him and turned to tell Kurt they should go get a table now.

Only to find the boy gone.

~*~*~

"You mean ve're not going to eat anyzhing?!" Kurt moaned as he joined Betsy outside.

"We'll get you something on the way home, luv," the girl said as she motioned for Brian and Tabitha to join them.

Once he was standing next to her, Betsy thrust a set of keys into her twin's hand.

"Don't try anything fancy with it, mister. Rogue will kill us all if the bloody machine gets so much an itty-bitty nick on it."

"Not to worry, luv, we're taking it straight home," Brian promised as he slid on the helmet he'd had in the back of the SUV and mounted the bike.

Tabitha gave them a smile that said that was far from what they'd be doing if she had her way then slid on her own helmet and climbed on behind him.

With Betsy frowning after them, the couple started the bike and raced from the parking lot.

Trusting that her brother would show his usual reserve, she shook off any worries about Rogue's motorcycle and moved to place a sealed envelope on Logan's bike.

She tucked it away so that passers-by wouldn't get curious, but left it showing enough for the couple inside to spot easily when they stopped to look.

Betsy stepped back to admire her work, sighed with satisfaction then turned to tuck her arm through Kurt's and lead him back to their ride.

"I think we've pulled this off rather splendidly," she announced as Jean started the vehicle and the group left the parking lot.

~*~*~

"Where are the others?" Logan growled as he came to a stop at Rogue's side.

She inhaled deeply and realized that he'd found a place to smoke one of his cigars not too long ago.

The lingering smell of smoke would have bothered her on anyone else, but mixed with a hint of sweat and a million other little things that were Logan it was a heavenly fragrance.

He shifted impatiently next to her, reminding Rogue that he'd asked her a question and she thought of the answer.

"Ah'm not really sure. Kurt and Ah came in to get a table and the others are out in tha parking lot."

"Where'd the elf go?"

"Ah don't know. He," she paused then fibbed, "he said something about the bathroom Ah think, but the music was too loud for me to be sure."

Logan turned his gaze to the jukebox that had just stopped blaring an old country favorite about an 'achy breaky heart.'

"So let's get that table while we wait for them," he suggested nudging her forward with the helmet he held in his hand.

"We?" she gasped as she followed behind him with only a moment's hesitation.

"Yeah, we. The Prof. set me ta babysittin' you kids tonight."

He came to a stop at a booth near the back and urged her sit down while he put his helmet down then slid into the seat across from her.

She inwardly fumed at always being put in the 'kid' category and slumped down in her chair.

"This table ain't big enough for all of us," she argued.

"It's a slow night, they'll manage to find something."

Rogue's eyes watched his lips as he spoke those words then raised his beer to them to finish off the bottle. 

Without even thinking to do so, she followed the liquid's path down his throat and stared at the way his Adam's apple moved as he swallowed the beverage.

Closing her eyes, she silently cursed him for not even being able to do such a mundane thing anymore without turning her on.

Across the table, Logan arched a brow at that reaction and stared a little more intently at her.

If he wasn't so sure it was impossible, he would have thought young Rogue to be … affected by his presence.

Even as he discarded the idea, his lips curled into a little smirk as the waitress arrived and got Stripes' attention.

"Want another?" the buxom blonde hovering at their table asked with a nod toward his empty bottle.

When he nodded, she placed menus and utensils in front of them, picked up the bottle then strode to the bar to get him another one.

"Lemme know when you're ready to order," the waitress said with a smile at Logan as she returned to give him his refill.

Rogue turned to glare after the woman's sassily swaying hips.

"She didn't even ask if Ah wanted somethin' ta drink," she griped.

Logan picked up his menu and flipped it open to cover his smiling mouth while looking at her over the top edge.

"Want me to call her back?"

Typical Stripes, the girl just glared at him and began looking at her own menu.

"Wanna go ahead and order or are we waiting for the others?"

At his question, Rogue frowned and put her menu down to scan the room around them.

"Thay should be in here bah now," she muttered, not seeing a sign of her friends inside the establishment.

Scooting across the bench seat of the booth, she looked out the window they sat next to and looked out into the parking lot toward where Jean had parked.

The man across from saw the puzzled and disbelieving expression that came over her face and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"It ain't there," she said, almost to herself.

"What ain't where?" he took at sip from his beer and tried to see what she was staring at outside.

"Jean's SUV," Rogue pointed to a parking space, "it was rahght there."

Logan stared at the spot that was currently occupied by a shiny new Ram.

"Ya sure that's the spot?"

"Positive."

They both stared silently at the pick-up and thought of what it's presence in place of Jean's vehicle meant.

"They set ya up again, darlin'," he concluded.

She fell back in the booth as pleasure at being called 'darlin' by him in that smoky gruff voice of his distracted her from the situation.

Then his words before the endearment sank in and she frowned.

"Whaddya mean, thay set me up _again_?' she demanded.

"That little scene in the kitchen last night? Yer gal pals set ya up."

"Huh?"

He rolled his eyes a bit, took a bracing drink from his beer then set the bottle down to explain it nice and easy for her.

"You slept through dinner last night. You awoke in the night feelin' hungry. You went downstairs to grab some grub. Your friend Betsy sent me some message about a stranger messin' around downstairs to get me investigatin'. I wondered in to the kitchen just like they planned ta find ya playin' in the fridge nearly naked."

She blushed furiously at the reminder and dropped her gaze to the table as she sank down in her seat.

"Ah was _not_ playin' or nearly naked," Rogue protested.

The waitress returned to see if they were ready to order and the conversation was forgotten as they opted to eat something.

~*~*~

While Rogue mostly fiddled with her dinner, Logan devoured the large rare steak he'd selected for himself.

Again she cursed her body for reacting at simply watching his teeth tear into the meat and chew it up.

Showing no signs of drunkenness he finished off his sixth beer with the steak and stretched with satisfaction.

To distract herself from the way his rippling muscles were apparent even with the jacket he wore, Rogue focused her attention on the couples dancing around the dance floor.

Eventually she became genuinely wrapped up in enviously watching the pairs as they swayed and shuffled around the floor together.

The song shifted to some man crooning a ballad and she sighed as the dancing became more slow and intimate to match the song.

"Wanna give it a whirl?" Logan offered unexpectedly.

She turned to look at him, startled by the suggestion.

"It's just a dance, darlin', even I can manage one of those."

"Ah nevah said ya couldn't, shuga, Ah'm just suhprised yer offering to try it with me."

He rose, slid off his jacket to reveal a black T-shirt stretched over the broad expanse of his chest and shoulders then extended a hand toward her.

"This song ain't gonna play forever, Stripes."

Not wanting to blow this probably once in a lifetime chance to dance with him, Rogue slid quickly from the booth, unzipped and removed her own leather jacket then turned to place her hand in his.

Logan didn't lead her right to the dance floor like she'd imagined he would.

With her hand pretty much unnoticed in his own, the man simply stood there staring at her.

At her chest to be precise.

And the lush swell of cleavage revealed by the plunging cutout in the middle of the brief halter-top she wore.

Had the other girls been there, Rogue would have bowed at their feet in thanks for forcing her to wear a top that got such a reaction from the infamous Wolverine. 

Somewhere inside her, an imp came to life and it knew just how to deal with this situation.

Keeping a giddy smile of delight hidden, she raised her free hand to Logan's chin and lifted it until he was looking into her eyes.

"It's impolite ta stare like that, ya know."

He blinked.

Then he remembered himself and jerked his chin from her hand.

"What the hell are you thinkin' wearing something like that out in public?! Ya wanna get raped or somethin'?" 

As he snarled out the questions, he shifted his body to shield hers from any curious stares and bent to pick her jacket up from the seat of the booth.

The move pressed his chest against hers and bent her backwards so that she had to grab his shoulders to keep from falling.

With the jacket he was stretching for right beneath his fingers, Logan froze.

Against his still body, Rogue's began going haywire as did her breathing, which stopped then started coming in slow little pants.

Her nipples grew hard while every other part of her went soft.

Her dry lips parted and ached to kiss his neck, which was so close to her mouth.

Automatically her tongue slid out to moisten her lips and in the process it touched his flesh.

His body jerked in reaction.

He wrapped his right hand around her waist and clutched her jacket in his left.

He swallowed and Rogue watched the way the muscles in his throat flexed at the action.

A growl vibrated his chest against hers as he shifted his attention from the jacket in his hand to her face.

Sensing his intense gaze on her, Rogue lifted her somewhat dazed green eyes to stare into his.

She gaped at what she saw in those velvety brown depths and he growled again at what he detected in her expression.

"We're leavin'," he straightened and shoved her into her jacket. "Now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I know I said in the last chapter that things would get hot here, but as I got to writing the 'plot' thickened so to speak. Much to even my own disbelief this and the next chapter are without any sex. It just … didn't go with the flow yet. *pouts at my stubborn creative process*


	13. The Set Up Continues

**__**

The Set Up Continues

Still dazed by her reaction to being so close to him, Rogue just followed Logan as he paid for their meal, grabbed his things then practically carried her from the building.

They burst out into the well-lit parking lot and strode to his bike only to grind to a halt there.

While Rogue simply leaned weakly against his side, Logan stared suspiciously at his bike.

There was a helmet on the machine that hadn't been there when he left it to enter the establishment.

It was Rogue's helmet.

He knew because he had been the one to give her the emerald green safety device.

Logan didn't give its presence much thought he just released Rogue to pick it up.

An envelope floated down to the ground when he did so.

Shoving it and his own helmet in to Stripes' arms, he knelt to pick up the envelope.

The hard plastic being thrust against her snapped Rogue out of her slight trance and she looked around her.

"Wha-where's mah bahke?"

Having just opened the envelope on the ground and read the answer to that question, Logan smiled in admiration.

__

They'd thought of everything, he realized as he reread the note in his left hand then stared at the key his right one.

Rising to stand before Rogue, Logan took his helmet from her and replaced it in her hand with the note.

"Whazz this?"

"Read it," he ordered as he shrugged into his jacket.

She obeyed, scanning the little sheet of paper to read of her bike's fate.

"Thay took mah bahke!" she exclaimed.

"That ain't all they've done tonight, darlin'."

She looked up at him, confused by the statement.

He showed her the hotel room key that he'd collected from the envelope.

"That ain't what Ah think it is, is it?"

"Oh it's what ya think it is, Stripes."

"But whah would thay give ya that?"

"According to the note, darlin', they didn't give it to me," he moved beside her and pointed to Betsy's postscript. "They gave it to _us_."

__

"Follow your instincts, luvs, and enjoy some privacy tonight."

Rogue read the words aloud and wondered what they meant.

Logan saw her confusion and happily explained to her the conclusion he'd come to.

"I think you're friends want ya to get some tonight, darlin'," he bent to continue in a whisper against her ear, "With me."

~*~*~

__

"With me."

Those two words and the gruff way Logan had whispered them into her ear made Rogue weak.

His following them up with the suggestion that they do as Betsy instructed left her speechless.

So she'd simply nodded her head to agree with his suggestion.

And that was how she came to be clinging to his back as he wove the motorcycle they rode through the traffic in their path to reach the hotel. 

Her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist with her hands lying flat against his chest.

The machine she straddled spread her legs so that she was pressed intimately against his hard hips.

Not even a breath could have slipped between her chest and the broad expanse of his back.

Her head was snuggled into the leather that covered his shoulder.

She was in heaven and growing very aroused by the ride.

All too soon he brought the motorcycle to a stop in the parking lot of the posh hotel Betsy had gotten them a room at.

He cut the engine, put down the kickstand, and removed his keys from the ignition to deposit them into a pocket in his jacket.

Then he stilled and they just sat there.

After a moment she couldn't resist moving a little. Her hands unzipped his jacket enough so they could slip inside the tight leather and stroke his warm cotton covered chest.

His hands came up to stop the caresses.

"Ya better stop that," he warned.

"Why?" she asked as she wiggled closer against him.

Rather than answer he released her hands, rose from the bike, removed the helmet and sunglasses he'd put on for the ride then stared down at her.

"D'ya really wanna do this?"

She stared at him questioningly and he glanced pointedly at the hotel then back at her.

Her green eyes shifted to the building then, with a somewhat nervous smile touching her lips, she turned them back to look up into his.

"Do you?"

He put his helmet on the seat in front of her, tucked his shades into a jacket pocket and removed her helmet. Holding the device in one hand, Logan stroked the white streaks in her hair before he bent to kiss her lips. 

His mouth stayed on hers until her lips clung to his then he pulled back.

She moaned at the move and opened wide the eyes that had begun sliding shut to stare at him confused.

"Let's take this inside," he growled.

Rogue smiled, grabbed onto the hand he extended toward her and climbed off his bike.

~*~*~

After security had confirmed that they did indeed have a room there for the night, Logan and Rogue made it upstairs to that room.

Upon entering the large, elegantly decorated place they were to spend the night he strode to a nearby chair and placed their helmets on it. He then removed his jacket to drape it over the back of that same chair.

Rogue simply stood just inside the door as the reality of the situation was finally sinking in to her.

Logan turned from the bed he'd been testing for firmness and the ability to support his weight when his keen senses picked up on the nerves that began overtaking the arousal that he had smelled so strongly on her on their way to the room.

She jumped like a scalded cat when he strode over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Biting her lip and cursing the inexperience that was making her feel so foolish right now she stared at his feet until he forced her eyes up to his with a finger under her chin.

"We don't gotta do anythin' here, darlin'. There ain't nothin' wrong with changing your mind," he assured her.

"But Ah haven't," she protested his last words.

"Rogue, I can smell it on ya. You're scared about ta death."

"Ah've jus' nevah done this before," she whispered as she dropped her head to gaze again at his feet.

Above her dejectedly bent head, Logan smiled gently while urging her into his arms.

"I know that, darlin'," he said against her ear when she gave in to his urgings and melted into his embrace.

She tipped her head back to look at him worriedly.

"Ya do?"

He nodded and tenderly stroked her cheek.

"I woulda smelled another man on ya if you'd ever had one and I woulda gutted the fool who dared claim my girl."

Rogue lit up like a Christmas tree at those words and she gasped.

"Yer girl?"

"Since the moment you chose the X-Men over the 'Hood," he confessed.

"Really?" she squeaked in disbelief.

His only answer was to dip his dark head and kiss her passionately.

They became lost in the meeting of lips and fell back against the door with her pinned against the wood and Logan's obviously aroused body.

A whimpering moan escaped her throat as Rogue felt his hard denim covered erection pressing hotly against her leather-encased core.

The sound had him ending the kiss and moving away from her.

"Logan?" she asked his heaving back as he struggled for control.

"I'm gonna take a shower," he suddenly said before stalking into the en suite bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Bewildered, she stared after him then stumbled across the room to sit on the edge of the bed.

~*~*~

__

Too fast. 

Too soon.

Too good!

The thoughts repeated in Logan's head as icy water pounded into his heated flesh.

Now that he knew Rogue wanted him, this wasn't the way he wanted to have her.

This was … rushed.

She was his girl and her first time wasn't gonna be in a stolen night in a room her kid friends had set her up in.

With that firmly in mind, he regained complete control of his body and stepped from the cold shower.

His girl was biting her fingernails and near tears when, fully dressed, he re-entered the bedroom. 

Cursing himself he knelt on the floor before her and cupped her face in his hands.

"Don't - " was all he got out before she threw herself into his arms and started to cry.

~*~*~

Nearly an hour later a happy but self-conscious Rogue stood in the bathroom staring at herself in the mirror.

After drying her tears, assuring her of how very desirable she was and explaining what he now planned for them Logan had sent 'his girl' in to shower and prepare for bed.

Scrubbed clean she wore his T-shirt and her rather uncomfortable thong and worked up the courage to re-enter the bedroom where they'd 'just sleep' together that night.

She honestly didn't know how the heck she was gonna survive 'just sleeping' with Logan when she now knew he desired her as much as she did him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author: D'ya think I may be drawing this out a little much? I had planned on doing a lot of the last chapter and this one and the next all together, but my plans always change as I write and this is how the cookie crumbled. Whatcha think – fine as is, could be condensed or who cares where's the bloody smut?


	14. Just To Be Clear

**__**

Just To Be Clear

Mishka speaking here:

This is your _LAST_ chance to stop reading while the story is at all PG-13-ish.

As Nelly says, "It's Getting' Hot In Herre," and if you can't take that heat RUN!

Without giving anything away, I have to warn you all that situations are VERY "sexual" in the following chapter. 

****

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH READING SCENES OF AN INTIMATE NATURE BETWEEN LOGAN & ROGUE OR ANY COUPLE SKIP READING THIS NEXT CHAPTER. 

"Getting Through the Night" is the first of what will be a few very steamy chapters in this series, but you can skip reading them if you don't like such material and still read & enjoy the story. Before each chapter that has said scenes I will be posting this warning to alert readers that they may wanna avert their eyes for a moment. 

I feel it only fair to put this warning in so that you know while the sex is what the story is all about to me and a few readers I do actually have a plot and storyline that can be enjoyed by everyone even if they don't wanna read the … more graphic aspects of my fiction.

If you've read some of mah other fics with Logan as tha leading man you know I tend to get carried away writing him like this and know to brace yourselves.

If you're just starting to read my writing, BRACE YOURSELVES.

*hehe*

I kinda think you're in for a bit of a treat, but that's just mah perverted mind speaking and everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Now … taking a page from Teinetufu's book, I'm counting down to your **_last chance_**

You've got 10

9

8

7

6

5 seconds to run away

4

3

2

1

This message will now self-destruct and readers will have fled or clicked forward to the next chapter.

Either way – Y'all been warned. ;-)


	15. Getting Through the Night

__

FINAL WARNING: This chapter contains material that is not intended to, nor should, be read by anyone under the age of 17. It should also be avoided by anyone sensitive to descriptions of oral sex.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Getting Through the Night

Slowly, she emerged from the bathroom shutting the light off behind her.

The room was left bathed in the faint glow of the lamp Logan had on next to the bed.

Rogue stood in the doorway, tugging on the hem of his T-shirt nervously so that it would cover more of her thighs and glancing at him as he lay on the bed in nothing but his jeans.

The man on the bed smiled at her virginal actions while rising to go to her.

She looked up at him with startled green eyes when he put his hands on hers to stop their fidgeting.

"You're covered just fine, darlin'," with that reassurance he led her to the left side of the bed and urged her under the blankets.

Smiling at his gentle actions, she laid back and watched him stretch out again on the other side of the mattress.

Only to frown when she realized he was lying on top of the covers rather than joining her under them.

She tried and failed to pull the blankets from under his weight to place over his body.

"Ya cahn't sleep like that," she gave up to huff.

He rolled onto his side, propping his head up on a hand and smiled down at her.

"Trust me, darlin', I've managed in worse situations."

She frowned again at the reminder of how harsh his life has been and looked down at the tight jeans he wore.

"At least take those off. No one could get comfortable in somethin' thaht tahght."

"Can't," he grinned wickedly then leaned over to kiss her nose and wink. "Ain't got anything on underneath."

As the words sank in Rogue bent her head to stare at the zipper of his pant and blinked.

"Oh."

The gasped utterance made him laugh and give into the need to kiss her lips.

She gasped again against his lips but quickly returned the caress.

Regardless of their earlier promises not to do anything that night, they were both getting carried away in the embrace.

Under the covers, her body shifted hungrily toward his as she wrapped her arms around his neck and slid her fingers into the silky black strands of his hair.

Growling softly, he pulled her under him to deepen the kiss.

Their mouths parted to gulp in air then met again even hungrier.

Without thinking of their actions they both began wrestling Rogue free of the covers until she was pressed against his body and her bare legs were sliding over the denim of his jeans.

A growl rumbled through his chest and a moan was torn from her throat as he started running his hands over her freed body.

When one of Logan's wandering hands slid up under her thigh to cup her buttocks, he froze a top her.

With his hand gripping the bare flesh of one soft cheek, he pulled his lips away from hers to glare down at her.

"Where tha hell are your panties?"

Startled she just blinked up at him and tried to pull him back into a kiss.

"Rogue," he growled. "Where are your panties?"

"Where ya think thay are?" she countered.

"They should be right here," he pinched her butt making her squeal, "but they ain't."

"Ow," she smacked his hand away to rub her butt, "it's a thong, ya moron."

Hearing that, Logan shifted back to stare curiously at her hips.

His shirt had somehow stayed in place, covering her from his view, and he pushed it out of his way.

Staring at her underwear with an arched brow, he sat up.

"'Hey baby.'"

Having forgotten what the flirty thong said Rogue thought he was trying to get her attention and smiled.

"Yeah, baby?"

He looked at her then shifted his gaze pointedly back to the front of her undies and repeated in a slightly disbelieving tone, "'Hey Baby?"

Blushing she shoved his t-shirt down to cover her again and sat up.

"Betsy made me wear it," she defended herself.

"Made ya?" he asked skeptically.

She glared at him.

"Yeah, _made_ me."

When he chuckled, she huffed.

"I like it," he surprised her by saying.

Rogue looked at him suspiciously.

"Ya do?"

His answer shocked her.

Looking into her eyes, he moved his hands to her hips, hooked his fingers in the waistband of the thong and slid it from her body.

As she laid there stunned at his actions, he lifted the garment to his face, smiled at the flirty front, took a discreet sniff of the material then stuffed the thong into the back pocket of his jeans.

"Yeah, I do, darlin'."

"Logan!" she shrieked while lunging to try and reclaim her underwear.

Grabbing her uncovered hips, he rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him.

It was impossible for her to get into his back pocket like this, so she tried to wiggle free until his hands slid down over her bottom to her thighs.

Those hands parted her legs until they were straddling his hips and she was pressed against the very large bulge in his pants.

Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she looked down into his eyes and spoke his name again – this time in questioning wonder.

Logan just ran his hands up her body to tangle in her short hair and pull her head down to his.

They kissed until she forgot all about her missing underwear.

Then continued until they both forgot their promise to wait.

~*~*~

She was naked for the first time ever with a man and Rogue didn't care.

In fact, she was loving every moment.

It was Logan.

Finally.

Her head dug into the pillows beneath it as he lips nipped the curve of her shoulder where it met with her neck then slid down to latch onto one of the nipples his fingers had been teasing into aching hardness for the past few minutes.

His gritty wet tongue rasped over the tip and her hands gripped his shoulders tightly as her legs slid restlessly over his still covered thighs.

When he sucked the nipple and a large portion of her breast into his mouth, she cried out his name and moved her hands into his hair to hold his head to her.

She felt him smile against her flesh at the reaction, but didn't care. 

The only thing he could have done to upset her just then was stop and fortunately it was obvious he had no intention of doing that.

Eventually he did lift his mouth to worship her other breast, but his hand returned to play with the abandoned mound so she didn't mind.

Soon it was all too much and she was writhing frantically beneath him.

Her hands clutched at his head and shoulders before dropping to tangle in the blankets then returning to try pulling him closer.

Her head was tossing from side to side as cries of his name and pleasure spilled from her lips.

Her chest was arching up to force more of her breasts into his mouth and hands while her hips ground up against his.

__

She needed him inside her.

Now.

She spoke the thoughts aloud and he released her flesh from his lips to claim hers with a growl.

After a deep kiss that melted every bone in her body and left her breathless he began pressing hard kisses against her body as he moved down it and she thought he was going to obey her demands.

Too aroused to be nervous, Rogue eagerly parted her legs even further for him and shook in anticipation of his next actions.

The first thing he did was linger over a little mole she had on her hip with his lips and tongue.

Her toes curled into the bedding they were now pressed against at the attention.

Then his mouth moved lower and her body froze.

While she technically knew what he was about to do, she didn't _know_ about he was about to do to her.

She had no idea what his method would be or how it would make her feel.

His method was surprisingly slow.

He teased her by stroking his fingers over the moist curls between her legs then gently parting the lips those curls concealed.

Her body began to shiver uncontrollably as her most private place was exposed to him.

Her eyes were squeezed shut and her head thrown back from the pleasure, but still she knew he was looking at what he'd revealed.

Later perhaps when she thought about it, she'd be embarrassed by the fact that he just stared at her for a long moment, but she was too bust just then waiting for him to do more.

Then he did.

She heard and felt him inhale deeply through his nose, hold and savor the breath, then slowly exhale over her clitoris.

Just like that, every muscle in her body clenched painfully causing her to arch and shake beneath him before with an ecstatic cry she went limp then clenched again.

__

So that's an orgasm, she thought moments later as she came down from the plateau that had always eluded her when she tried to reach it alone.

Logan was gently kissing her trembling thighs while his hands stroked her quivering stomach to help ease her back into herself.

Rogue shakily whispered his name and he looked up into her eyes with the most incredible fires raging in his own.

Gasping out his name again in wonder at that desire so blazing in his gaze, she tried to pull him on top of her to claim her body.

He ignored her with a shake of his head before lowering it to focus between her legs again.

He slid a blunt fingertip from her stomach down to trace her clitoris and the entrance to her core then turned his gaze back to hers.

"This is just for you, darlin'. Tonight it's all for you."

With those gruffly uttered words his exploring finger plunged gently inside her and his lips closed over the aching nub of nerves at the apex of her thighs.

~*~*~

Two more climaxes later she lay spent in his arms atop the tangled covers of their hotel bed.

Though his own unsatisfied hunger was still painfully obvious to them both, he was smiling contentedly as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Rogue wondered how he'd react if she told him she loved him right then.

Not secure enough in all this to risk the words yet, she snuggled her nude body against his.

And thought of a way to express her emotions physically.

Logan's hands stilled in her hair as hers slid to his stomach.

A warning growl began in his chest as her fingers wiggled between his taut flesh and the waist of his tight jeans to unfasten the button then carefully lower the zipper.

He grabbed her hands to stop her, but it was too late.

His erection sprang free of its prison and Rogue immediately freed her hands to focus all her attention on it.

She knew he was saying something to her.

Something about "stopping" and "don't do that," but she refused to allow his words to sink in.

__

He was beautiful, she thought.

He scoffed suddenly, making her realize she'd spoken the thought aloud.

"You are," she whispered as she hesitantly reached out to stroke the pad of a fingertip down his length.

Though he loved her admiration of and curiosity about his manhood, Logan knew he had to stop this now and he grabbed her hands in his again.

"Rogue," he growled.

She looked up at him with a plea in her eyes.

"Let me, Logan."

"No."

"Please?"

"I don't have enough control for ya to start experimentin', kid."

The use of that nickname got a slight glare from her before she licked her lips real slow and weakened his resolve with the action.

"That's ok, shuga. Ah want ya to lose yer control. Ah want ta do to you what ya did ta me."

"No."

The protest was not as firm this time and she persisted.

"Please?"

A pleading expression in her eyes combined with another lick of her lips shattered his resistance and he released her hands to grip the bed.

Practically cooing with anticipation, Rogue again focused on his arousal.

It seemed to have gotten even bigger while she pled with him to be allowed to ease it.

Digging into the more intimate memories of the guys she'd absorbed with her mutation, she picked out what she felt would be helpful and began acting on her instincts.

Leaning on her left elbow as it was braced next to his hip she watched her right hand stroke up the inside of his left thigh until it reached his erection.

He groaned and bucked against her hand before stilling his body again with a growl.

She wrapped her hand around the base and wasn't surprised to find that her fingers were not long enough to completely encircle him.

__

So big, she thought as her hand eased slowly up his length_._

She was pretty sure she said the words out loud, but neither of them cared.

The liquid glistening at the tip of his hard shaft fascinated her and, without even thinking about her actions, she moved her head over him until her tongue could hesitantly lap it up.

Logan shouted her name at that and thrust his hands into her hair.

He made to move to pull her away or stop her or encourage her to repeat her actions, though. He just seemed to freeze there with his hands in her hair, her hand gripping him intimately and her lips hovering over his erection.

Needing some kind of encouragement from him, she turned her passion fogged green eyes to meet his.

He was staring at her intently and she could see the battle he fought with himself at what she was doing.

He wanted her to continue, but thought she was too pure … too young to do this for him.

She swallowed and savored the taste of him that she had gotten.

"Ah want to," she said simply, gazing into his eyes so he could see she meant it. "Do ya want me to stop?"

His answer was to groan and growl while using the hands he still had in her hair to guide her head back to his body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author: Hope no one was … disturbed by the imagery there at the end. I know not everyone enjoys reading such scenes, but I did try to warn you in the previous chapter and personally I don't think I wrote it too … obscene. I apologize if any readers disagree and again must say, "Y'all been warned."

I've gotta um….go cool off a bit before I start on the next chappie. That one will be safe for virtually all ages again.


	16. Leave Them Guessing

A/N: Back to a PG – 13ish chapter. It's safe to look everyone! Have no fear 'adult' readers the steamy stuff will be back very soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Leave Them Guessing

They awoke slowly to the summons of their pre-checkout wake up call in the morning.

Logan reluctantly shifted from the position they'd slept in the whole night to snarl into the phone that they got the message.

Rogue hated the realization that she'd have to remove her head from his bare chest, her hand from his stomach and her leg from it's place between both of his.

He was obviously reluctant to lose that contact too, but after pulling her tight against him for a good morning kiss he slid from the bed.

Once standing beside the bed he carefully closed his jeans, which had been left on but unzipped all night, then bent to pick his t-shirt up off the floor.

After slipping the garment on he smacked her bare bottom and told her to get that butt dressed.

For a moment she playfully rubbed at the cheek his smack had caused to tingle and pouted at him.

"Ah cahn't get dressed. Ya have mah underwear."

As if he'd forgotten about that, his hand went to the back pocket where her thong was still tucked and smiled.

"So I do, darlin'. Looks like you'll be goin' commando today too."

She shifted to kneel on the bed with hands on hips to glare at him, not realizing how ruined the effect of her fuming stance was by the fact that she was completely naked.

"Give me mah panties."

"Ya didn't have panties, baby. All ya were wearin' was a bit of butt floss."

While she both glared and gaped at him in anger and disbelief, he gathered up her outfit from the night before and went to put it on her.

The bra puzzled him and he stared at it.

"What tha heck is this?"

"It's mah bra," Rogue snapped out of her trance to reply. "Ya wanna give it ta me to put on or are ya gonna stick it in yer pocket, too?"

Without a word he handed her the plastic thing and watched closely as she positioned it over her breasts just so then pressed it against her flesh until it stayed in placed, lifting and shaping the mounds it now covered so that they looked like some lush firm fruit.

"How the hell'd ya do that?"

"Shuga, that question's a lil pervy," she made a face at him for the words and his intent stare at her chest.

He lifted his curious eyes to glare at her.

"'Pervy?'"

"Well, yeah, pervy."

His arms wrapped tight around her waist and he yanked her to him for a long deep kiss before releasing her with a cocky grin.

"Ya call that pervy too, darlin'?"

She simply blinked at him and swayed until she practically fell out of the bed.

Grinning like a baboon, in Rogue's opinion, Logan steadied her and began urging her into her tight leather pants.

The material clung to her skin uncomfortably and creaked in protest as he roughly yanked it up over her hips and zipped the pants shut.

"Whah does everyone feel Ah cahn't dress mahself lately?" she asked as he lifted her arms to slip on her halter-top.

"Whatcha mean?" he asked as he stepped back to admire his work.

"Last night it was Betsy, this mornin' you. Ah'm eighteen Ah think Ah can manage puttin' on mah clothes bah now," she sulked.

A typical guy, Logan's mind stuck on just one part of her answer and the images it evoked.

"Betsy _dressed_ you?"

She saw and easily interpreted his expression with a disgusted snort.

"You really are a perv, ya know that?!"

With that she stomped into her shoes grabbed up her helmet and leather jacket then stormed from the room to await him at his motorcycle in the parking lot.

~*~*~

"She, like, really did it," Kitty broke the silence to say.

The group that was gathered with her in Rogue's empty bedroom snapped their eyes to the girl that had spoken.

Replying to the statement of an obvious fact they all returned their attention to the unslept in bed occupying the room.

"You're sure Logan hadn't slept in his either, right?" Jean turned to ask Scott who had checked that room.

"Positive. They went to that hotel."

"What were you thinking, luv, doing that to Rogue?" Brian demanded of his twin.

"I was just playing a little cupid, luvs. It's what they've both been wanting forever, they just needed that last push," the purple haired girl defended.

"But it was only their first date, Betts. Even I don't go that far that fast," Tabitha said.

Betsy's blue eyes narrowed to glare at everyone in the room.

Kitty and Kurt stared back at her, still disbelieving that Rogue appeared to have actually _done_ **it **last night with Logan.

Brian, Jean, Scott and Tabitha all looked at her like she'd sold the other girl into prostitution or something.

"Look, this is exactly what our whole plan was for, remember? To get those two fools together. Why are you all so upset with me for giving them a private place to do it?"

The roar of Logan's bike coming through the front gates of the institute stopped their conversation and sent them all out into the hallway to run and greet the returning couple.

Ororo and some of the younger X-Men all watched them curiously as their group clamored down the stairs and rushed out the front door.

Rogue was standing in Logan's arms next to the motorcycle they'd just risen from when the conspirators skidded to a halt inside the garage.

Both of them were glowing.

Kitty fainted against Kurt at this obvious confirmation of Betsy's success.

The others, even Betsy, gaped at the pair in disbelief as they turned their focus from each other to glare at the intruders on their moment.

__

Crickey, the ringleader of this particular scheme thought.

Jean, her green eyes open wide, went one step further.

"What have you done?" the redhead demanded of the couple.

~*~*~

"There anythang leftover from breakfast?" Rogue asked as she moved casually into the kitchen with the yahoos all trailing behind her.

"Food?! You're, like, thinking of food?" Kitty squeaked.

"Well, yeah," the center of their attention said with an intimate smile at Logan. "Ah seem to have worked up a mahghty big appetite and Ah ain't eaten since last nahght."

Jean gasped at the scandal of what the girl had virtually just admitted to them all.

Logan turned to glare at them all.

"You all wanna scram so we can eat in peace?"

"No use shooin' 'em, shuga. Nothin' left ta eat," Rogue sighed as she finished her check of the fridge for something easy to grab, heat and eat.

Their audience was forgotten as Logan felt the need to take care of his partner.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and stroked her hair back behind her ears with his free hand.

"How 'bout ya run upstairs and get cleaned up while I throw somethin' together for us, darlin'?" 

While his suggestion turned Rogue to mush, it just plain stunned the others in the room into speechlessness.

The formerly standoffish goth girl stood on her tip toes to kiss the man's lips and stroke his hair a time or two.

"Sounds lahke a plan, shuga'," she then said before nuzzling her nose against his then leaving the room.

Left alone, the man immediately removed his leather jacket and started moving around the kitchen to gather what he needed to cook their meal.

"You're gonna cook?" Scott broke the stunned silence to ask.

Turning his dark head to stare at the young man, Logan growled and arched a brow at him for the question.

"Got a problem with that, bub?"

"No. No problem," the whole group said in unison as they started edging out of the room.

"I think it's a smashing idea, luv," Betsy said with some of her usual enthusiasm before turning tail to flee with the others.

~*~*~

They allowed the couple to eat their breakfast and part ways for Logan to clean up before trying again to find out what had happened the night before.

Knowing the would kill the guys a hundred times over before daring say a single thing about her personal life in front of them, the girls sent the boys off to see if they could get anything from Logan while they went after Rogue.

Betsy and Jean both sensed the girl in her room, so the quartet went there.

After knocking and getting Rogue's rather distracted permission to enter they stepped into the bedroom to find the girl going carefully through her wardrobe.

She looked up at them and smiled suddenly.

"Perfect. Y'all can help me!"

She then ushered Betsy and Tabitha over to her dresser and Jean and Kitty over to her closet.

"Ah need anotha outfit for tonahght lahke ya chose for last nahght," she explained.

All four girls turned to ask her why.

"Logan's takin' me out and he jus' loved what Ah wore last nahght."

"How much of it did he see?" Jean saw an opportunity to pry and took it.

Rogue opened her mouth automatically to answer the question then she snapped it shut with a furious glare at the older girl as her meaning sank in.

"That is none of yer bee's wax, Red."

__

~~ Ease up, luv. ~~

Betsy sent the other girl a mental warning and moved to soothe Rogue.

"Not to worry, luv, she didn't mean anything by it."

__

~~ We're not going to get anything out of her that way, Betsy. ~~

Warning blue eyes locked with prissy green ones.

__

~~ It's called subtlety, Red. I suggest you try learning the art of it, as it's far more informational than sticking your nose right in. ~~

~~ Geez. You don't have to lecture. ~~

~~ Neither did you earlier about my giving our girl a room for the night, but not 'having to' didn't stop you either, luv. ~~

Kitty and Tabitha exchanged worried glances at how the telepaths were glaring at one another.

"So this date, where's tall, dark and hairy takin' ya?" the blonde girl moved in to change the subject.

With that the tension eased and the girls got down to the serious business of outfitting their friend.

No further opportunities presented themselves to get any information from Rogue.

~*~*~

"Sorry, blokes, I'm not putting my neck on the chopping block even if this is my sister's idea," Brian said as he, Kurt and Scott prepared to approach Logan.

"You da man, Scott. You can do it," Kurt said with a pat on the guy's back.

"Me? Why me?" 

"Last to speak up, first to volunteer," Brian answered.

With the other two staring at him, Scott gulped and reminded himself that he was leader of the X-Men.

As Kurt said, he was the man.

__

But it was … Wolverine?

He gulped again and watched the older man hang up the phone he'd been talking on and stride from the mansion.

Brian and Kurt rose to begin pushing Scott out through the front doors after their target.

They followed the man into the garage and watched him checking over the motorcycles.

Logan easily detected their presence and he looked up from examining Rogue's bike to arch a brow at Brian.

"Ya wanna explain how this happened to me or should I get Stripes?"

The blonde's eyes widened in horror as he remembered last night. 

Tabby had nibbled on his ear and played with his chest until he'd sped the machine home and started trying to do tricks on it. On the last trick they'd tried before rushing the machine home to hide in the garage, he'd run the motorcycle off the road and fishtailed it into a tree.

They'd slowed down before impact and there was no real damage to them or the bike, but Rogue babied the machine and would freak out when she saw the tiny dent and scratched paint on the right back fender.

"Bloody hell," the guilty young man groaned as he knelt beside Logan. "Can we fix it?"

When the older man nodded, the three boys forgot their mission to help save Brian's butt from Rogue's fury.

~*~*~

The time passed quickly and before the matchmakers knew it lunch was over.

While they were gathering for an impromptu meeting, their objectives were leaving the mansion on their motorcycles for their 'date.'

Only the couple and, by necessity, the Professor had any idea of their true agenda.


	17. A Clean Getaway

**__**

A Clean Getaway

Normally it took nearly two hours to reach the Professor's house on Winchester Lake in Connecticut.

Logan and Rogue were playfully racing each other throughout the trip, though, and made it in just over one hour.

They both declared that race a tie as, side by side, they pulled their bikes to a stop in front of their home for the weekend.

Rogue took off her full-face helmet and stared at the area around them.

"It's beautiful," she sighed as she took in trees and lake and log ranch style house.

"The Prof.'s got pretty good taste," Logan agreed as he removed his head gear to look around them.

"And it's ahll ours for the weekend?" she turned to slide her arms around his waist and smile up at him.

"Tonight, all of tomorrow and as long as we want Sunday," he assured her with a deep kiss.

"The Professor really didn't say anything about us coming up here togetha?" she asked when they pulled apart.

"Darlin', he's the one who suggested we use this place. I think that's a sign he approves."

She smiled at the thought of the man she so admired approving of this relationship and snuggled into Logan's chest for a moment.

"Ah'm glad," she sighed.

Logan held her for a moment then stepped back to remove the saddlebags from their bikes.

"Let's get settled in."

~*~*~

After placing their few personal items in the main bedroom of the house, they took a quick inventory of their food supply.

Logan suggested they grab a nice dinner in town then pick up some groceries for the rest of the weekend.

Rogue agreed quite easily and soon they were on their bikes again heading into the town of Winchester.

They pulled up in front of a nice family style restaurant and dismounted their machines before walking into the establishment with Rogue leaning against his side.

As they were seated and given menus, she looked up at him thoughtfully.

"Do ya think thay've caught on yet?"

~*~*~

"They're definitely up to something. Why else would they leave this early?" 

The group turned to look with some annoyance at Jean, who had asked the question.

Brian eventually rose from the floor of the recreation room with a sigh.

"I, for one, don't care if they are up to something. I say we call this mission accomplished and let them be, luvs."

Tabitha rose to slip an arm around her boyfriend's waist and nodded her agreement at his statement.

"Absolutely. We've played our roles of Cupid to the fullest and Rogue's old enough to make her own decisions from here on out."

"She's clearly not thinking right now. First Betsy threw her in to a hotel room with Logan, a situation he was bound to have taken full advantage of, and now he's probably drug her off to another hotel for a repeat performance," the older girl said.

"Whoa, that's a low blow, Jeannie. We all know Logan would never take advantage of anyone, especially Rogue," Scott rose with a frown to say.

"I think Rogue is thinking very clearly right now, luv," Betsy rose to say. "She's thinking that her dreams have all come true. She's touchable and enjoying that fact to the fullest with the man she loves. A man she's just coming to realize loves her back. No one is forcing her to do anything."

"Ja," Kurt jumped up to add his two cents, "She vas so happy zhis morning. Zhat's vhat ve all vanted to happen. So vhat if zhey rushed into bed togezher? Zhey've vaited long enough, I say it's all good."

Jean's green eyes darted to Kitty who'd yet to speak up and saw that the other girl sided with the others.

"Has it occurred to any of you that she's probably not even on birth control? That she's only been 18 for two months? That she's still got a year of high school to complete? That she's got a ton of issues stemming from her mutation?"

"Is all that only _just_ occurring to _you?_ This whole thing was, like, your idea to begin with and now you're the one flipping out that it's worked. What's up with that?" Kitty asked, seriously puzzled.

They were all looking at her curiously and Jean scrambled for some explanation.

Suddenly, Betsy's jaw dropped and her blue eyes widened in shock.

"You're jealous, luv!"

The older girl jumped at the accusation, causing Scott to stare at her more intently while the others all looked at Betsy in surprise at the words.

"My God, you are, aren't you?" Scott exclaimed softly as he finally recognized her motivation.

"I am not!"

"If you, like, wanted Mr. Logan for yourself why did you go pointing out to all the rest of us how perfect he and Rogue are together?"

"This whole conversation had become absurd. I do _not_ want Logan for myself and I _am not_ jealous."

"I don't even have to read your mind to know that's baloney, luv," Betsy said. "You may not have wanted the big guy before, but now that he's with Rogue you do."

Jean glared at the telepath as the others in the room slowly began nodding.

"I think you're right, Betts. I seem to remember that Jean here was all into dumbass Duncan until Taryn and Rogue started showing interests in Scott, then she just had to have _him_," Tabitha said.

"Yeah and it's, like, so obvious you only went out with Duncan because he was the most sought after guy in school by the preppy set," Kitty said.

"So that's your game, eh luv? You only go after the guys other girls want for some kind of ego trip?"

__

~~ When did this meeting become a free for all at me? ~~

~~ Right about when you showed what a bitch you're going to be now. ~~

~~ Betsy! ~~

~~ I hit a little close to the truth, luv? And to think I went off on your precious Scott thinking you totally loved him and were being hurt by his thinking of Rogue! ~~

~~ I **do** love Scott. ~~

~~ Then you better back off on Logan and Rogue. Just drop this faux concern you suddenly have for Rogue, because we can all bloody well see right through it. He's on to you now and you'll have a lot of convincing to do to make him believe that you actually love him. As it is, I think Tabs and I are pretty dead on in our assessment of your character! ~~

Jean stepped forward until she was in the face of the other girl she was mentally arguing with.

__

~~ You have no idea about 'my character', lady! ~~

~~ I think I do, luv, and you better get out of my face before I take offense. ~~

~~ Oooh. Well, I certainly wouldn't want to offend **you** after how sweet you're being to me right now, would I? ~~

~~ Ugh. It's always you you you! Back off, Jean, before I kick your prissy egotistical butt. ~~

~~ Stop telling me what to do you, Euro-trash! ~~

~~ As you Yanks say, you're cruising for a bruising. ~~

~~ You wouldn't dare. ~~

~~ Oh ho, luv, I dare all right. Have you already forgotten what happened to Rogue yesterday when she said that to me? ~~

~~ What? You planning on dressing me up like a slut for Logan, too? ~~

~~ That's it! I'm gonna kick your ass and hopefully in the process dislodge that stick you've got lodged up it, you bitch! ~~

With that, Betsy slapped the other girl hard across the face.

The redhead gasped at the blow and lifted a hand to cover her reddened cheek.

Everyone else in the room seemed to freeze at that moment, not believing what they'd seen.

Their jaws then dropped as Jean thrust out her hands toward Betsy and sent the other girl flying back against the wall with her telekinesis.

__

~~ Wanna play that way, luv? I can play that way! ~~

Unaffected by the weak retaliation, Betsy unleashed her psionic blade and stalked toward the other girl.

Panicked by the sight of the blade, Jean focused all her mind on creating a bubble around herself that Betsy could not penetrate.

The action didn't surprise the purple haired girl, who calmly withdrew the blade and crossed her arms over her chest to wait for her target's power to drain.

She'd learned quickly that Jean was weak and her powers, incredibly useful as they were, were wasted on such a woman. The redhead lacked true control and stamina - often tiring and becoming a burden in battle situations.

With a defeated sigh just moments later, the shield she'd placed around herself fell as Red became too tired to maintain it. 

Smiling with delight, Betsy straightened and prepared to make her move.

Only to have Brian restrain her as Jean dove behind her boyfriend for protection.

Scott and Betsy's brother both demanded to know what they were doing.

"I'm trying to kick her ass, luv, now do you mind?!" the younger girl snarled.

"I demand to know what brought this on!" Scott exclaimed, trying to look over his shoulder at the girl who cowered behind him.

Betsy pulled free of Brian's hold and strode over to the older boy to glare into his ruby red shades.

She debated telling the boy a bit about what their telepathic argument had contained but opted to keep it just to herself.

"It's personal, now get out of my way before I add yours to my list of butts to kick," she ordered.

He stood there gaping at her like a fish out of water and began stepping aside just as she pushed him out of her way.

He fell to the couch and watched as the furious girl virtually pounced on Jean.

His girlfriend screamed like a banshee as Betsy tackled her to the ground, straddled her chest, pinned her arms to the floor and grabbed Jean's long red hair.

"I wouldn't dare, eh? Looks like you're wrong again, luv!"

She drew back her free hand to again slap the other girl, but a voice in the doorway stopped her.

"That's enough!" the Professor said as he wheeled in.

The two girls on the floor froze as everyone around them burst into speech about how they had no idea what was going on and that they couldn't do anything to stop it.

The man waved them all into silence then urged the group from the room before focusing on the combatants.

"Betsy, let her up, please," he said sternly.

Reluctantly, the purple haired girl obeyed and rose to her feet. 

Unfortunately for Jean, Betsy still had a hand tangled in the other girl's red hair and as the British girl stood she pulled a handful of that hair free.

"Professor!" the redhead cried out as her hands went to her precious hair.

Figuring the man would side with the older girl, who had long been one of his prize students, Betsy sighed while resisting all urges to smile and hold the locks in her hand up triumphantly.

Meanwhile, Jean had begun to cry on the floor and was whining to the Professor about how she'd been attacked unprovoked.

"Enough," the man said. "Do get up from there, Jean."

Her tears slowly stopped as she rose to her feet until both girls stood guiltily before him.

"Now, I don't know the specifics of your argument, but I did detect enough to know that fighting is not the way to settle it. I want you both to apologize to each other."

His tone was firm and after a few minutes the girls sighed their acceptance and said insincere "sorry"s to one another.

"I'm disappointed in you both. You're teammates and above all else ladies. This behavior is unacceptable," he lifted a hand to forestall their explanations, "_regardless_ of the reasons behind it. Violence is not the way to solve your disagreements."

"Yes, Professor," the both sighed with their heads hanging.

"I can't imagine what the two of you have to fight about anyway. You plan for Logan and Rogue has worked beautifully. Rogue still believes her mutation to be cured and they've gone out together for the evening. You should both be celebrating."

"We would be if Red here hadn't decided she'd like a piece of Logan herself now," Betsy muttered.

"For the last time, I DO NOT WANT LOGAN!" 

Seeing violence brewing anew the Professor intervened.

"Stop right there. I think perhaps the two of you need a little time in the Danger Room to work off this energy and remember the importance of working together."

Knowing they'd pretty much been given an order the two girls followed Xavier from the room to prepare for their impromptu training session.

They froze before putting on their uniforms as the man made another announcement that made it clear they were being punished for their roughhousing.

"I believe I'll set you up with one of Logan's simulations," Charles said with a gleam in his eye. Then he turned his wheelchair and went up to the control room to prepare and monitor their session.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Ok, this scene may seem a bit out of place and I apologize for that. It's just that I've been reading up on Jean/Phoenix in the comic series and I realllllllly don't like what I'm learning so I feel I've been too nice to ol' Red in this story. I just needed to vent a little bit and I think it kinda works the way I did it. 

All other X fans who like seeing the gal get whooped, I regret to inform you that I won't be writing a full report about this lovely Danger Room session. We'll have just have to wait and see what happens after the fact, like everyone else. :-P

Because…..this is a Logan & Rogue series! And our favorite new couple is off alllll by themselves at a lovely place on the lake for the weekend! 

What kind of writer would I be if I delayed getting to the details of that weekend any more?

Muahahahahahahahaha………


	18. Just To Be Clear PTII

Author Speaking: I'd like to begin by saying WOW thank you all so much for the reviews and MAN has this story turned into an epic. :-P I am just having the best time writing every little scene and thinking up new ones as I go that the story keeps growing and growing. Hopefully, as your reviews seem to indicate, y'all are enjoying the evolution and not minding the length. :-)

With that said, I'd like to delay a lil longer and thank a few reviewers individually:

Teinetufu, you're a constant source of inspiration for my stories.

Pocketprnces, I thank you so very much for your review. Probably the greatest compliment any writer here on the site can receive is the one they get from knowing a reader has enjoyed a story enough to print it out for future reference. :-) I'm honored to hear you've done so with at least some of this story.

Aubrey Lee, beth, Ice Lynx, melissarxy1, Selph, Raining Star, FrEcHeSKaTzChEn, Lady Destiny, Lladyred01, UntitledWhispers, hopeless-amore & many others, thank you so much for staying with the story, enjoying it and continuing to offer supportive, constructive feedback. :-)

I've save the most important for last with my thank you and this note to Destiny Phoenix. 

Destiny Phoenix, thank you for your great reviews and I apologize for not including an answer to your question sooner. The following chapter does include a brief reference to the serum and Logan & Rogue's belief that she has been genuinely cured by it. I also want to note that a lot in the last few chapters has been written from Logan and Rogue's POVs and they were both quite successfully duped in chapters 8 & 10. :-) For the most part though, the serum isn't really discussed as the happy couple is a bit distracted by the desire to enjoy the fact that they can touch. Eventually, though, the story will get around to the revelation that the drug's effects had already worn off when Logan caught Rogue in the kitchen back in Chapter 10.

**__**

Now with all the shout outs complete, lemme get to another warning for readers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Just To Be Clear - PTII

As the story now focuses completely on our happy couple and their escapades at Winchester Lake, I feel obligated to give all innocent, easily scandalized, sensitive or young readers a chance to run like hell for the hills.

I'm preparing to present y'all with smut.

Pure, unadulterated, sometimes funny often sexy, steamy and explicit SEX.

This very next chapter 'Their Night on the Town' is very tame though it does contain some sexual situations. All readers feel free to read it knowing that it's just a lil risqué and use that knowledge to make a decision whether to read the chapter after that, "Oh What A Beautiful Morning," or shield yourself from the scenes it will contain. 

Yes reader's our couple will finally really completely be getting it ON in chapter 20! A chapter that at this time, 1:50am 8/23/03, I have not really even started writing though I do know what I'm gonna put in it so be patient maybe a day tops for it to actually get posted.

Ok now, just to be clear the following chapters, 'Their Night on the Town' and the yet to be written 'Oh What A Beautiful Morning' will contain sexual situations. 

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH READING SCENES OF AN INTIMATE NATURE BETWEEN LOGAN & ROGUE OR ANY COUPLE SKIP READING THESE CHAPTERS. 

I feel it only fair to put this warning in so that you know while the sex is what the story is all about to me and a few readers I do actually have a plot and storyline that can be enjoyed by everyone even if they don't wanna read the … more graphic aspects of my fiction.

If you've read some of mah other fics with Logan as tha leading man you know I tend to get carried away writing him like this and know to brace yourselves. Considering how carried away I've gotten with just about everything else in this series….REALLY brace yourselve.

If you're just starting to read my writing, BRACE YOURSELVES.

*hehe*

I kinda think you're in for a bit of a treat, but that's just mah perverted mind speaking and everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Now … taking a page from Teinetufu's book, I'm counting down to your **_last chance_**

You've got 10

9

8

7

6

5 seconds to run away

4

3

2

1

This message will now self-destruct and readers will have fled or clicked forward to the next chapter.

Either way – Y'all been warned. ;-)


	19. Their Night on the Town

**__**

Their Night on the Town

After lingering over a big satisfying meal at The Winchester Restaurant, Logan and Rogue decided to walk around the town a bit as night slowly began falling over it.

They could see the grocery store they'd need to stop at before going home, but they didn't move in that direction.

Instead Rogue cleverly maneuvered her man toward a place she heard music coming from.

Standing outside the bar and grill where they could both hear country and rock tunes playing, she looked up at Logan.

"Looks lahke we shoulda eaten here."

"Too loud," he replied frowning at the establishment.

"Aw, now, it ain't that bad," she began trying to pull him inside the bar.

"I thought we were just burning off our dinner before we got what we need from the store and went back to the lake?" he growled.

"And that's ahll we will do. Dancin' is a great way to burn calories and ya still owe me one from last nahght."

"How ya figure that?"

"Well, shuga, Ah seem to recall you askin me ta dance at the restaurant last nahght before ya got all impatient and drug me outta the place," she reminded.

He growled at the reminder, but she was looking at him all sweet and pouty so he caved.

__

What's the harm in one dance, he reasoned.

~*~*~

Rogue was a naughty little girl.

Logan knew this now without a doubt as they finally rose from the booth they'd been sitting at to have their dance. 

Just as she had last night, she unzipped and removed her leather jacket to reveal the teasing little top she hid beneath the concealing rawhide.

Tonight it was a little denim vest type thing with white laces up the front that stopped covering her body about half way down her ribs.

It left her arms and midriff bare and all he wanted to do was yank open the lacing until all of her was exposed to him.

But the little witch had chosen to reveal her outfit to him in a public place and he wasn't about to let these yokels get a peek at his girl.

Growling possessively he slid an arm around her waist, held her tight against his chest, stepped onto the bar's small dance floor then wrapped his other arm around her and began moving slowly to the song that was playing.

She smiled up at him, all happy, as her arms slid up around his neck and she swayed with him to the music.

"I think we can guarantee Hank that his little potion works," he said as he began kissing her bare neck.

Her head fell to the side so he could reach more of her throat and she moaned a little while her fingers sank into his hair.

"Ah should think so. If mah skin didn't kill ya last nahght Ah think we can safely say it's no longer an issue."

He slid a leg between both of hers, pressed his growing erection against her hips and licked her ear lobe.

"Woulda been worth it," he whispered as she gasped at his actions.

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did she stiffened a little and pulled her head back.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Dyin' last night. Woulda been worth it to have done what we did," he explained.

His words first made her blink then she blushed a little and tucked her head into the crook of his neck.

"Don't be silly," she said against his shoulder, but he could feel the smile on her lips as she said it.

Smiling himself, he pressed his cheek against the top of her head and they simply danced like that for the remainder of the song.

When another ballad followed the one they'd been dancing to they just pressed closer together and continued moving slowly to the music.

Their movements eventually became more about foreplay then dancing.

Logan's hips were rocking softly against hers and Rogue was discreetly grinding herself against the leg he still had between hers.

Her lips had begun to kiss his neck and shoulder and he lowered his to nibble on her throat.

While her hands were massaging his head and back his were running up and down her spine, his fingers sliding up under the back of her top then dipping down into her tight jeans to teasingly touch the curve of her bottom.

Soon the world around them melted away as their kisses and caresses became less discreet.

Until a few pointedly cleared throats reminded them they were in public.

"Let's get outta here, shuga," Rogue suggested.

Having been about to make the same suggestion, Logan happily led her off the floor to get their things and leave the bar.

~*~*~

"How are just tha two of us supposed ta eat all this?" Rogue asked as she and Logan began unloading the groceries they had had to go back to town to buy.

__

For some reason they'd forgotten all about needing to buy perishables at the grocery store after leaving the bar and before returning to the lake, she remembered with a smile.

"Easily, darlin'. Jus cook it an' eat," he replied with a half-smile.

She turned, stuck her tongue out at him for that answer then threw a bag of chips at his head.

"Ah meant that it's way too much stuff for just us just this weekend."

Catching the chips, he slowly approached her until she was backed against the counter. He then placed the chips on that counter before bracing his hands on it at her hips, effectively trapping her between him and the counter.

"Trust me, darlin', it'll all get eaten," he said leaning down to nibble on her ear. "I've got a _big_ appetite."

The way he breathed into her ear as he spoke those words with their double meaning made her eyes fall shut, head fall back and knees go weak.

She wasn't so virginal that she didn't know he was referring to more than his appetite for food and the statement made her all the more eager to get out of this kitchen and into the bedroom they'd chosen to settle into for the weekend.

As if reading her mind, his lips moved from her ear down her neck to the V-shaped neckline of her denim vest top.

Her hands dropped back to grip the countertop as his lips parted so his teeth could capture the end of one of the strings tying that vest together.

Growling slightly he pulled his head back until the laces started coming undone and the top opened.

A moan escaped her as his hands brushed the denim aside and his mouth began exploring the soft skin above her bra.

"Logan," she cried out when his tongue slid between her beasts as much as the bra allowed.

He smiled at her reaction and moved his mouth up to claim hers while his hands flicked open the front closure of her black garment.

Shaking as his hands cupped her bared flesh, she wrapped her arms tight around his neck and parted her lips for a deeper kiss.

She became restless as their tongues thrust and slid against each other during the passionate embrace.

Another part of her wanted to be claimed by him the same way her mouth was being taken by his.

That part of her began grinding itself against his erection, hating the jeans they both wore that kept their bodies from joining.

"Bedroom," she pulled away to gasp. "Bedroom. Now."

Logan just smiled at her, thrust his hips against hers and bent his head to suck on a sensitive patch of flesh on her neck. 

On the left, right under her jaw where he could feel her pulse beating erratically beneath the skin.

While his lips focused on that area his hands began massaging her breasts, the fingers gliding over her hardened nipples and occasionally squeezing the aroused tips.

"Logan," she cried out again as her right leg began moving frantically up and down his left one.

He just released her right breast to lower his hand and lift her leg up over his hip before kissing her into silence.

Rogue found she liked the position he'd just put her in because it allowed her to pressed more openly against his erection and press she did while he rocked his hips into hers.

Feeling an orgasm fast approaching, she latched onto his shoulders, sucked on his tongue in her mouth and ground against his hardness.

With his left hand still holding her thigh, he moved his right one from her breast to tangle in her hair and tilt her head back for the deepest possible kiss.

The move not only had his tongue sinking further into his mouth it left her sensitized nipples exposed to the rough texture of his shirt as their bodies pressed and ground together.

That proved too much for Rogue, who dug her fingernails into his shoulders, tore her mouth from his to scream out his name then began convulsing as her pleasure from the situation reached it's peak.

~*~*~

Once she came down from her climax, Rogue realized that Logan had lifted her up onto the countertop to keep her from falling when her body went limp.

She snuggled against him and kissed his neck for that thoughtfulness.

As she snuggled closer, she realized he was still very aroused having not found release yet from their actions.

"Shuga, let's go to tha bedroom," she nibbled her way up to his ear to whisper.

He growled softly at the suggestion and pulled her hips to the edge of the counter.

"Wrap your legs around me," he ordered gruffly.

Eagerly she complied and soon they were moving toward the darkened bedroom, his erection rubbing against her core with every step.

When he bent to lay her on the bed, she was all ready, willing and able to have him lie down on her and make her his.

Rather than do that, he straightened to remove her boots.

Belatedly remembering that complete nudity always helped in these situations, she smiled and lifted herself up onto her elbows to watch him finish undressing her.

Her bare breasts jiggled with her actions, distracting the man who stood over her.

A hungry growl rumbled through his chest as he dropped the boot he'd just removed and, as if he simply couldn't resist, he lowered his head to draw her left nipple into his mouth.

Automatically she moved her hands up to clutch at his head and hold it to her body. The move left her torso without any support and she fell back onto the bed pulling him down on top of her.

Neither of them minded as her fingers ran through every strand of his silky black hair and his hungry lips moved to her right breast.

There was one thing Rogue didn't much like about their new position, but she fixed it quickly by simply parting her legs so that Logan was caught between them and pressed against her center.

Feeling him where she needed him most, even if they were still too dressed to do what she wanted, had her moaning and arching beneath him.

"Inside me. Need you inside me," she started chanting as her body rose and fell against his.

"Take it easy now, darlin'," he lifted his head to urge.

She responded by yanking his head back to her chest and shouting, "Now!"

Chuckling at her response, despite his own need, Logan removed her hands from his head and pinned them to the bed.

"Hold your horses, Rogue, we ain't doin' that tonight," he said.

For a few moments she whimpered, tried to wiggle free from his hold and continued to thrust her hips up against his.

Then the words sank in and she froze.

"Whaddya mean we ain't doin' that tonahght?!" she demanded.

"We're not gonna have sex tonight."

"_Now_ ya tell me that? What tha hell'd ya bring me here for, then?!"

"So we could be alone and deal with this change in our relationship."

"Ah'm happy with the change in our relationship. Ain't got nothing to deal with there. Let's check that off yer list," she said as she returned to trying to free her hands.

"I did not bring ya here just to have sex with ya, darlin'," he said while easily maintaining his hold on her.

"So that ain't why ya brought me here, that don't mean we cahn't do it," she gave up her struggles to pout seductively up at him.

"Don't look at me like that," he said sternly.

"Lahke what?" her lower lip extended further in pout.

"Rogue, keep your damn hips still," he growled warningly.

"Wolverine, take off yer damn pants," she countered.

Still growling he bent his head to kiss her a little roughly before rolling from the bed and stalking into the bathroom.

She just laid there stunned for a moment before sitting up.

"What ya go in there for?" she called out.

The sudden sound of water, cold she suspected, rushing through the showerhead in the bathroom gave Rogue her answer and she fell back on the bed with a groan.

Until it hit her that he was in that shower naked.

~*~*~

"You'll behave yourself now, won'tcha?" Logan asked with laughter in his voice.

Still damp from the cold shower he'd thrown her into when she tried to seduce him in the bathroom, Rogue just hugged herself in the oversized T-shirt she wore and glared at the man laying so smugly on the bed.

Continuing to glare the whole time, she stalked from the bathroom to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers with her back to him.

"Ah ain't talking ta you," she snarled.

That vow just set him to laughing out loud until she sat up and smacked him into silence with her pillow.

"See if Ah evah offer ta have sex with you again, ya moron."

At that statement and a huff she rolled over onto her stomach, placing the pillow she'd beat him with over her head to muffle the chuckles still rumbling from his chest.


	20. O What A Beautiful Morning

__

FINAL WARNING: This chapter contains sexual situations that are not intended to nor should be read by anyone under the age of 17. It should also be avoided by readers of any age who object to mature sexual themes.

If you read further you do so willingly at your own risk. You have been warned about the content as much as you can be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

O What A Beautiful Morning

__

He was a sadist, Rogue thought as she reluctantly awakened to Logan's call for her to get breakfast.

__

Or is that what Ah am for loving him, she wondered as she rose and dressed.

She continued to ponder that train of thoughts as she made her way to the kitchen and flopped down into a chair.

"Ya betta have coffee for me if ya want me awake this early," she virtually growled as he began setting food on the table.

"Didn't know ya drank the stuff," he said before getting a mug for her to drink some of the beverage he'd prepared for himself.

"Ah only do when big rude men insist Ah get outta bed at the crack of dawn," she griped.

"That happen to ya a lot does it?" he scoffed.

"Since Ah met you it does."

Glaring at him through her uncombed and slightly tangled hair, she drank down the hot black coffee she'd been given.

"Ugh," she groaned upon emptying the mug and setting it back down. "D'ya always drink it lahke that?"

"Like what?" he sat and took a sip of what he'd poured for himself.

"It's lahke oil."

"Drink a lot of that to compare, do you?"

From the way she looked at him then her empty cup, if there had been a drop of scalding coffee left in the mug she'd have hurled it at him.

"Ah still ain't talkin to you," she declared with a huff as she began filling her plate with the food he'd fixed.

~*~*~

They ate in silence for a while until Rogue appeared to be awake and alert.

She'd polished off a plate of toasted frozen waffles, scrambled eggs, crisp bacon and nicely browned sausage links.

Surprisingly, she was still hungry and as she took a moment to watch Logan eating his breakfast she decided she knew just what she wanted to complete her meal.

As was his habit, he'd speared some sausages with his claws and was putting them on his plate when she rose to stand next to him and take the hand with the claws extended into both of hers.

He looked up at her a bit startled by the action and almost instinctively retracted the three metal blades extending from his knuckles.

"Don't," she said with a shake of her head.

Wondering what she was up to he obeyed and left the claws out with a sausage link skewered at the end of each one.

Kneeling beside his chair and looking straight into his eyes, she drew his hand toward her lips until they parted to bite into the sausage on the leftmost blade.

"Careful!" he warned sharply as her soft lips nearly touched a razor sharp adamantium edge.

"Trust me, Ah know what Ah'm doing," she said after chewing and swallowing her bite of sausage.

"What exactly are ya doin', darlin'?" he asked as she stole a chunk of meat from his middle claw.

She gave him a "Well, duh" look as she ate the second piece then replied.

"Ah'm eatin' what's it look lahke Ah'm doin'?"

Growling slightly at the sarcastic remark, he was otherwise silent as his curiosity demanded he just be quiet and watch to see what she was up to.

After eating the tip of the last link on his claws, Rogue slowly turned his hand so that his palm faced her and began caressing that palm with her thumbs. Her teeth sank into the meat on one claw then slowly pulled the remaining piece of sausage up and off the blade into her mouth. 

She chewed, swallowed, then repeated the process with the other two bits of meat he'd speared.

By the time she finished the very last bite, he was achingly aroused by watching her actions and the way her fingers had been playing with his hand.

With the final morsel completely gone, he retracted his claws, thrust back his chair, leapt to his feet, swiped the dishes off the small kitchen table then bent to pick her up and place her on the now bare surface.

"Wha - ?" she began.

He silenced her with a kiss as he unfastened and removed the pants she'd put on before coming to the kitchen.

Impatient he just curled his fingers into the waistband of her delicate panties then yanked until the fabric was torn from her body.

"Logan!" she cried out in surprise at the ruined underwear.

"That's nothin, darlin'," he said as he moved to kneel on the floor at the table's edge. 

Eyes wide with shock at the rapid chain of events, Rogue simply watched as he pulled her hips to the edge of the table, draped her legs over his shoulders and licked a straight line from her right kneecap up her inner thigh to the small crease where her leg and hip met.

"Now, this," he repeated the gesture with her left leg. "This is reason to be callin' out my name."

And with that his mouth plunged into the opening between her legs.

And she called out his name many many more times over the next thirty minutes.

~*~*~

Sprawled limp, nude and satiated on the bed, Rogue eagerly watched Logan at the foot of the bed as he stripped off his clothing.

Knowing her sparkling green eyes were following every movement, he drew out the process even though he'd only dressed in sweat pants and a tee for lounging around the house.

His long broad fingers gripped the T-shirt and slowly eased it up over his stomach, ribs, chest then pulled over his head.

Half-smiling he stretched and flexed the muscled he'd just revealed to her hungry gaze until he heard a little whimper escape her throat.

Arching a brow, he ran his eyes over her body till they met with hers.

"Somethin' wrong, darlin'" he asked innocently.

"Hurry," she said with her attention focusing on the pants he still wore.

"Patience is a virtue, Rogue."

Even as he teased her with those words, his finger were easing under the elastic waistband of his sweats and beginning to push the material off his body.

When he straightened and stood before her in all his naked glory, every inch of his rippling flesh bathed in the morning sunlight, Rogue's breath froze in her chest.

__

Perfect, she thought. 

And apparently said if the way his chest swelled up with male pride was any indication.

Her eyes slid over that chest to gaze upon what she'd been wanting for so long.

Suddenly, though, in the bright light of day as she laid all vulnerable on the bed it looked much bigger than she remembered from their night in the hotel room.

Too big, in fact.

"Shuga, that ain't gonna fit," she said as her eyes darted from his erection to between her legs and back again.

He took her worried statement as another compliment, stood a little straighter, smiled at her then bent to crawl onto the bed with her.

His large, hard body slowly settled on top of hers with his torso supported by the elbows he braced on the bed beside her head.

With a shivery moan her body welcomed his weight and, against her better judgement, arched upward to press against him. The broad tip of his shaft nudged her wet opening in a way that made her feel all quivery inside.

Logan began kissing her lips, ears, neck and shoulders as he twisted his hips and slid the tip inside of her.

She froze at the foreign feeling of something so large resting inside her opening, stretching her virgin muscles wide.

"It's too big," she said with a push at his shoulders.

Again he took her words as a compliment, smiled like a baboon and bent to kiss on a pulse point in her neck until moaned and softened around him.

Encouraged, he moved his hips forward about an inch easing more of himself inside her.

The move was highly uncomfortable to Rogue, who forgot the delightful sensations of his mouth to glare at him.

"It ain't gonna fit," she stated firmly.

This time he lifted his head to look at her with some concern.

"Sure it will, darlin'. Ya just gotta give it time."

Holding his hips still he kissed her lips and neck while his hands rose to fondle her breasts until she went all shaky and arching beneath him.

It was her arching that pushed their hips together until he was pressing against her rather stubborn hymen.

"Take it out, it ain't gonna fit!" she pulled away to cry out at the pressure she felt with him bearing against the internal barrier.

"Rogue, relax. It'll fit," the man above her assured.

"Take it out, ya big ox!"

Sighing, he obeyed and rolled over onto his back with her on top of him.

"Wha - ?" she began in confusion as he arranged her legs so that she was kneeling astride his hips.

"Trust me, darlin'. You'll like this," he took her hips in his hands and moved them so that his arousal was rubbing over her clitoris. "You get to call all the shots this way. Take as much as ya want when you want."

Rogue like the sound of that and started moving her hips without his guidance until his hands left them to slid up and begin playing with her breasts.

His penis was sliding over and pressing against all kinds of sensitive areas that seemed to convulse at the contact.

For long moments she just continued to move herself over the hard tip of his erection, getting all kinds of thrills from it.

Growling, Logan suddenly slid his hands from her breasts, under her arms, around her back to curl up over her shoulders and urge her to lean down over him. 

As soon as her hardened nipples were within reach he raised his head to suck first one and then the other into his mouth before returning to the first.

Shaking, she stilled her hips to brace her hands on his shoulders and try pressing herself more deeply into his mouth so that he'd lavish more attention on the flesh.

But he kept teasing her.

Just taking the nipple into his hot moist mouth, flicking it with his tongue and drawing upon the nub strongly before releasing it to do the same to the other breast.

"Logan," she moaned, wiggling herself against him and unknowingly wedging the tip of his erection against her core.

Growling more fiercely he finally latched onto her flesh with his mouth and suckled at it deeply while his hands slid down her back to her hips.

All she could do is moan with delight as he nursed at her chest and began pressing her body down on his while his thrust upward.

"Sit up," he released her flesh to order.

For a moment she was too dazed by the sensations she'd been immersed in to obey him, but when the command sank in she immediately pushed herself up until she was again kneeling upright astride his hips.

"Brace yourself," was his next command.

While she was still trying to figure out what he meant by that, his hands gripped her hips firmly and pulled them downward just as his thrust up sharply.

Her jaw dropped slightly as it became painfully obvious what he'd done.

"Holy hell, that hurt!" she said with a hard smack to his chest.

"Hey, now!' he exclaimed at the blow.

"Ah thought Ah was callin' tha shots here!"

"I lied," he said with a huge grin as he pulled her against his chest and rolled them until he was again on top.

He then buried his head against the crook of her neck and just lay there without moving to allow her body to adjust to him being buried so completely and deeply within her.

Eventually her murderous glare turned to a stubborn pout then to a look of utter fascination as her body adjusted and started erasing from her mind the slight pain of his possession.

__

He was inside her. Logan was finally inside her, she thought with wonder.

As she softened under and around him, Logan began moving his hips against hers.

The movements weren't thrusts, they were more like twists of his body that tickled the nerve endings exposed to his touch.

Rogue shivered and moaned at the sensations.

"Do that again," she ordered even though he'd shown no signs of stopping.

"Like that?" he lifted his head to smile down at her.

Her answer was to nod as she bit her bottom lip and concentrated on starting to move her hips in a way that increased the tingling she felt.

When he bent his head to nibble along the side of her neck up to her ear, she could feel him smiling at her actions but didn't care if he was finding this amusing.

It felt good and that was all that mattered to her.

Until he stopped his twisting motions to slowly lift his hips from hers, causing his hardness to drag along the inner walls of her core, then sink back in to the hilt.

"Ahhh, again," she ordered after the first thrust.

"Thought ya'd like that," he said with a grin against her lips.

Their lips met in a kiss that quickly deepened into a lip lock that left them both breathless as he picked up the pace of his thrusts.

"Looooooogan," she moaned when their mouths parted to gulp in air.

She began digging her hands into the hot flesh of his back as her legs moved restlessly on the bed and along his lower body, trying frantically to find a place for them that increased the pleasure of their joining.

Knowing just what she needed, he ran his hands down her legs to wrap them around his thrusting hips.

The move angled her just like she wanted and allowed her to squeeze him with her legs to hold him deeply inside her.

"Yessssssss," she cried out, clenching her legs around him and thrusting her hips upward.

"That's it. Just like that, darlin'," he groaned in time with their movements.

Her eyelids were too heavy to keep open so she squeezed them shut and focused all her other senses on what was happening.

She smelled them, their combined arousal and sweat.

She heard his grunts, groans and growls of pleasure mixing with her pants, moans and cries of delight.

Her mouth parted over his flesh to taste the salty sheen of sweat now coating his neck and shoulders.

And touch. Her sense of touch was overwhelmed. 

Under her lips and hands she felt his muscles rippling with tension at the restraint he was exercising at the moment as well as with the force of his thrusts. Against her chest she felt the hard nubs of his nipples grinding against her own. Gripped by her legs, she felt the flexing of his tight butt as he pulled from her and thrust back in.

And inside her….she felt ecstasy. Every vein and ridge of his penis was dragging against the clinging walls of her formerly virgin womanhood. She felt empty every fraction he withdrew and so wonderfully full when he buried himself to the hilt. His wiry but soft pubic hairs were tickling the sensitive knot of nerves between her legs with each downward thrust.

The sensations of touch were too much.

Crying out his name, Rogue's body froze for a heartbeat before jerking into frantic movement. It convulsed around and under him with his name repeating from her lips.

Growling ferociously as her climax triggered his own, Logan sank his teeth gently into the soft curve of flesh where her neck and shoulder met as his hips began hammering into her before he froze and released his essence into her still clenching core.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

From the author: Carla-p, huge LOL & thanks. I read your reviews while writing this chapter and loved them. :-) Hope you enjoy this installment and I'll try to get another ready for y'all asap.


	21. Pampering

A/N: This chapter is … I dunno … PG-15ish/R maybe to be safe. Bath time fun, YIPPEE! No … um … "action" though, so younger readers might feel ok reading it. But I guess it could be considered to contain "mature themes" so maybe I should have all but the adults keep their eyes averted….I dunno. 

I'll let y'all decide and just say I warned ya. 

Overall, it's a very cutesy lil chapter that sets the stage for another toe curling WOW smut session. *hehe* That one's gonna take me just a bit to write 'cause I'm kinda having fun with it. :-P Just think of the movie mentioned at the end and Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and you'll be close to what I'm planning, but I bet the end result will still pleasantly surprise y'all. ;-)

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**__**

Pampering

"Don wanna move," Rogue moaned without opening her eyes.

Logan stood naked beside the bed looking down at his very satisfied lover and smiled smugly.

"Come on now, get up," he ordered again.

"How 'bout ya come back in here?" she cracked an eye to offer.

"You wanna do this the hard way, eh?"

While she frowned slightly and tried to figure out what that meant, he bent to scoop her up off the bed.

"Ah love it when ya get all commandin' on me," she sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled against his chest.

"Since when?" he had to know.

"Since ahlways. Ya get all gruff and growly and bossy and Ah melt."

He smiled at that and carried her into the bathroom where he'd drawn a hot bubble bath for her. She moaned delightedly as he lowered her nude body into the water.

"Now you just lay in here while I go clean up the kitchen," he ordered as he stood again.

"Yes, sir," she smiled and winked up at him.

"Imp," he growled before bending to give those smiling lips a quick kiss.

~*~*~

__

This was worth being drug outta bed for, Rogue decided as she lazed in the tub.

It'd been so long since she'd had access to a bathtub, as the girls' bathroom at the mansion only had showers.

Showers were all well and good, but there was just something about lying in a hot tub of water that couldn't be beat.

The warmth and steam were sinking into her every pore, making her all limp and relaxed. 

She could barely feel all those new muscles she'd used during her two back to back experiences with actual lovemaking that morning.

In fact, all she felt was … fabulous.

__

WOW.

What a glorious morning she'd had. 

And to think she'd been calling Logan a sadist for getting her up so early.

__

He was … wow … a dream.

She'd jump right up at any hour of the morning, day or night for him if it led to more of this.

__

This was love, she realized. _The real deal. Not some silly wasted crush like what she'd had on Scott or a wild fascination like she'd had with Gambit, but … love._

She wanted to shout it from roof and mountaintops.

She wanted to climb out of this tub, find her love and jump his bones again.

She … _good, God, she felt like singing!_

~*~*~

"Oh, what a beautiful mornin'  
Oh, what a beautiful day  
I got a beautiful feelin'  
Ev'rything's goin' my way"  


The sound of a throat being cleared in the doorway stopped Rogue's singing and made her look up from the bubbles she'd been playing with in her bath.

"What are you doin'?" Logan asked with a smirk on his face.

"Ah was singin'," she replied while flicking water in his direction.

"That was kinda hard ta miss, darlin'. Maybe I should ask what the heck were you singing."

Blushing at being caught in such a good mood and belting out the chorus to a showtune of all things, she simply sank lower in the bathtub and ignored him.

Not about to be ignored, the man knelt next to the tub, reached for a sponge and dipped it into the water.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked as he soaped up the now wet sponge and raised her left leg from the water.

"Givin' you a bath, darlin'. What's it look like I'm doin'?

"Ah can bath mahself," she declared even as she moaned at his attentions.

"But what's the fun in that?" he asked as he slid the sponge up her leg to the inside of her thigh and back down.

He had quite a good point there so she simply sank back against the rim of the tub and watched him through half closed eyes as he slowly bathed her body.

"We didn't use any protection in there, ya know," he said as he moved to her right leg.

"Ah know," she smiled at the memory of feeling him inside her without any barriers between them.

"You could get pregnant."

"Nah. Hank gave me that shot thingy last month, so Ah'm all safe for the next two months," she revealed.

"Why'd he do that?" Logan growled, stopping his hands at her knee to frown at her.

"He was jus testin' a theory, shuga. He thought mah skin was related to mah hormones in some way and gave me tha shot to see if using it to regulate mah cycle helped any with mah skin," she explained.

Making a face that said she'd given a little too much information, he resumed his bathing.

She smiled at the expression and wiggled into his hands as they neared her hips.

Much to her pouting disappointment, he stopped before getting to her good parts and shifted his attention to her arms and back.

Her disappointment turned to delight as his big strong hands massaged her back as they washed it.

"Ah luv yer hands, shuga," she moaned at the touches.

"Hmm. So you love when I get "all commandin'" and my hands. Anything else about me you like?" he asked as he moved those hands to her front.

"Mmmm. Everythang."

"Everything?" 

"Uh-huh."

His hands stopped on her breasts and he moved one to tilt her head back to look up at his.

She reluctantly re-opened her eyes to see what was wrong and found him staring down at her very intently.

"Do you know what you're sayin', Rogue?" he demanded.

Frowning, she tried to remember what she'd been saying.

"What do you mean when you say you like everything about me?" he got impatient and clarified.

"Oh, that," she smiled a little goofily. "Ah luv ya, Logan."

For a moment he stared deeply into her eyes to verify that she meant her words then he dropped the sponge, slid both his hands into her hair and kissed her until she was breathless and incapable of speech.

"You better mean that, darlin', 'cause I love you, too," he growled when their lips finally parted.

She blinked and stared up into his handsome face and intense brown eyes.

Then she blinked again in something akin to disbelief before a huge smile touched her lips.

"Ya luv me?" she shifted until she was kneeling in the tub. "Really?!"

"Really," he confirmed with utter conviction.

The smile neither of them thought could get any bigger did just that as she threw her wet body against his and began covering his face with kisses.

"Whoa there," he laughingly pulled back to say. "You're gonna fall outta there and hurt yourself if ya keep that up."

"You'll catch me," she stated without a doubt that he'd prevent her from getting hurt in any way.

Glad she realized that she was that important to him, he kissed her deeply while easing her back into the bathtub until she was again laying in it.

He pulled away, fished out the sponge from the underneath her then resumed bathing her.

"Yer one hellava man, Logan," she sighed as she loving stroked his cheek.

"I'd have to be to keep up with you, darlin'," he turned to kiss her again. "You're one hellava woman, Rogue."

~*~*~

Hours later he awoke her from her nap to serve her lunch in the bed she'd fallen asleep on after he'd given her a full body massage.

"Hope you're hungry," he said as he nibbled her neck and shoulder until she pushed herself upright with a smile.

"Starvin'," she confessed. 

"I thought ya may be. You had a very … strenuous morning," he smirked.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded around a mouthful of the huge hoagie he'd made her.

Jaw moving quickly, she devoured and swallowed the bite before taking a sip of soda.

"Ah'm hopin' mah nahght will be just as … invigoratin'," she said as she bent to kiss him once her mouth was empty.

"Ya sure you're up to it?" he asked with a little concern.

"Shuga, after that bath, tha massage and mah nap mah muscles are all limp, relaxed and good as new. Ah can do everythang we did this mornin' all over again and then some," she boasted.

"And then some?" he quoted with an arched brow.

She nodded rapidly as she ate another chunk of her sub.

"Whatcha got in mind?" 

The wicked smile that curled her lips and the twinkle entering her eyes made him stiffen somewhat wearily.

"Rogue," he said in a slightly warning tone.

Her hands slowly put down the hoagie and picked up her napkin to wipe away a little smear of mayonnaise from her lip.

While he was beginning to growl and glare at her, she just continued to smile as she took another sip of her soda to wash down the food she'd just swallowed.

"Ya evah seen tha movie 9 ½ Weeks?" she finally asked.


	22. Leave Your Hat On

WARNING: This chapter contains absolute SILLINESS and though it's rather sexual silliness it should be read by ALL! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Leave Your Hat On

"Oh, come on, shuga, it'll be fun," Rogue pled.

Rising from the bed, Logan went to the dresser got a pair of jeans and pulled them on.

"Of all the scenes to act out from that movie, ya wanna do _that_?" he asked with a frown in her direction.

"Absolutely," she answered with a gleam in her eye.

"We ain't got the music for it," he argued.

"Ah betcha Ah can fahnd something with tha song on it somewhere in this place," she rose to say.

"You bet? What do I get when I win?"

Smiling with the knowledge that she wouldn't lose, Rogue strolled to stand nude beside him and run a finger up and down the center of his chest.

"You get to pick out which scene from tha movie we bring ta lahfe," she promised. "But if _Ah_ win, ya gotta do tha dance for me."

Though he was suspicious that the odds were stacked against him, he nodded his acceptance of the bet.

Squealing with delight at his consent, she put on some clothes and ran to dig through the vast collection of CDs and cassettes left at the house by students on previous visits to the place. It took her a few moments to find the CD Hank had mentioned forgetting to bring back to the institute with him on his last stay at the lake, but once she did she kissed the case and ran back to the bedroom.

"You owe me a striptease!" she cooed as she thrust the disc into Logan's hands.

The man stood staring at the compact disc for a moment before turning his head to look at the cowboy hat sitting atop the dresser.

Cursing his habit of never leaving the mansion for a weekend without it, he glared at the girl who'd clearly set him up.

"That wasn't a fair bet if ya knew this was here, Stripes," he growled.

"Ah didn't _know_, shuga, Ah just vaguely remembahed hearin' someone say thay thought thay'd left it here. Ah coulda been wrong or thay coulda come and gotten it since then, so it was a fair bet and ya owe me that dance." She paused. "And while we're on the subject of whatcha owe me, Ah clearly recall ya puttin' me on top this mornin' so Ah could be in control and then ya went and changed that real quick, so thay way Ah figure, ya owe me that, too."

"You always gonna be so demanding?" 

"Ah ain't demandin' Ah'm just sayin' we outta keep things fair between us."

"How is it that all the 'fair' stuff is completely and only in your favor?"

"Well, now, shuga, Ah don't know about that. If it seems that way ta ya maybe yer bein' a lil demandin' yourself and Ah'm just tryin' ta keep up."

Growling ferociously to cover the laugh that was bubbling up in his chest at her words and defensive stance, he gave in to the urge to kiss her silly.

~*~*~

"Ah want ya ta do it now, Logan," she was saying.

"Can we finish eating first?" he countered while gesturing to his only half-eaten steak.

"Eat faster," she ordered with a pout.

"Patience is a virtue, darlin'," he smirked.

"Ah wouldn't be lecturin' me about virtue, shuga, when you're the man who's taken mahne."

"I took it now? I seem to recall you being a very willing participant after you stopped yer whinin'."

"Ah did not whahne!"

"Call it whatever you want to, darlin', to me it was whining."

Looking quickly around the table for something to help her vent the fury building within Rogue saw the three dinner rolls remaining on a plate in the center of the table. She picked them up one at a time and threw them at his head.

"Temper, temper," the man said with a smile as he dodged each one. "You're gonna clean that up this time."

All that got him was a glare as she tried to find something else to hurl in his direction.

"You cahn forget about tha dance and removing yer clothes at all tonahght!" she huffed when she find nothing but breakable dishes she didn't want to break.

Yet.

"Aw shucks, darlin', and I was so lookin' forward to it."

His tone when he said that and the smirk on his face gave him away.

"Oh, you think yer soooo clevah. Well, Ah've changed mah mind. You _will_ do yer dance for me."

"I knew you'd never be able ta resist my bod," he grinned and winked at her smugly.

Her first reaction was a scoff and glare, but after a moment of simply sitting in her chair and staring at her empty plate he saw the corner of lips curl upward.

She then turned on him with a gleam in her eye as she rose from the table to come stand behind him.

"You're so rahght, shuga," she whispered seductively in his ear while her hands ran over his T-shirt covered shoulders. "This body of yours simply fascinates me. Ah wanna take ya in tha bedroom and do alllllll kahnds of wicked thangs to it. In fact, Ah think aftah you strip for me, Ah'll collect what else ya owe me, clahmb on top of this buff bod an' rahde ya lahke a cowgirl. Ah've wanted ta do that for sooooo long, Logan. Every time Ah see ya in one of these tight shirts and such tahght jeans and that sexy cowboy hat pulled down low on yer head, Ah have the hardest tahme restrainin' mahself and now that we're togethah Ah figure Ah don't have ta do that anymore."

By the time she finished that little speech with a delicate lick of his ear, Logan had forgotten all about food and was all rearin' to give her the ride she mentioned.

~*~*~

Feeling drunk with her feminine power over the big bad Wolverine it took all of Rogue's control not to giggle at his impatience once they got into the bedroom.

"No," she said sternly with a hand in the center of his chest when he made to tumble her on to the bed with him on top. "Ah wanna see ya strip for me."

"Rogue," he growl/groaned.

She crossed her arms firmly over her chest and gave him a look that allowed no argument.

"I'm not exactly wearing enough here to do a whole routine with," he argued.

"That's whah ya gotta take it off reallllllll slowly," she declared. "And put tha hat on."

With that order she went to the stereo in the room, put in the Joe Cocker Greatest Hits CD, forwarded it to the song she wanted then flopped down to sit on the edge of the bed and enjoy the show.

"Why don't we do the ice cube scene instead? I guarantee you'll love that," he tried to bargain.

"Ok," she smiled up at him. "We'll do that later."

He growled and glared at her.

"Logan. Ya made a bet. Ya lost tha bet. Now quit yer whinin', put yer hat on and strip for me. This song ain't gonna play forevah," she ordered like a seasoned dictator.

Snarling and muttering incoherently under his breath he picked up said hat, slammed it on to his head then looked down at what he was wearing.

"I can't wear the heat and take my shirt off at the same time," he growled.

"Of course not," she conceded. "That's why ya need ta rip the shirt down tha front and peel it off."

"This is a good shirt!"

"Ya've got othahs."

"But _this_ is a good shirt."

"Ooh. And tear tha jeans off too," she commanded as her eyes drifted down to his denim clad legs.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Yer a strong man, you can do it."

"Rogue, these are - " he began.

"Good jeans, yeah Ah know. Less yakkin' and more rippin', shuga. And dance! Ah know ya can do it, so move that sexy bod and shake what tha good Lawd gave ya."

He froze.

Completely.

Then blinked at her.

"You wanna try runnin' that by me again, darlin'?"

She frowned at him.

"This is supposed ta be a striptease. You are neithah strippin' or teasin'," she stated. 

"Ro - " he began.

"Do Ah have ta show ya how it's done?" she asked as she jumped to her feet.

He froze again for a moment at that before his lips curled wickedly.

"Why don't ya do just that, darlin'?"

Sighing, she went to the stereo, started the song back at the beginning then returned to stand in front of him.

"Just do what Ah tell ya," she says as her hands glide slowly over his chest until they latch onto his hips.

The slow rhythm of Joe Cocker's "You Can Leave Your Hat On" slowly sank into Rogue's bones and her body began swaying and grinding to the beat.

On his hips, her hands were urging Logan to begin moving in the same fashion until their bodies were swaying and grinding in the same way.

When he tried to pull her closer so that their bodies pressed together while they moved, she shook him off and slid her hands back up over his torso until her fingers hooked into the neckline of his tee.

Wiggling her hips forward until they brushed his, she looked up into his eyes.

"Tear it for me," she ordered.

With her grinding so delightfully against him, Logan didn't hesitate to obey. His hands came up to grip the fabric of his shirt and pulled until it tore at the collar and a little down the chest.

Rogue immediately brushed his hands aside before he could completely remove it and finished the job herself.

The remaining material parted easily at her urging and, still grinding her hips against his, she slid her hands along the flesh bared by the torn shirt then pushed the ruined garment from his body.

His hands had grabbed onto her butt and were now pressing their hips tightly together, but she didn't care.

Her hands were running freely over his bared torso and loving the feel of his warm, hard yet soft and slightly sweaty flesh.

Unable to resist she dipped her head to lick at that flesh.

Logan's fingers dug into the softness of her denim covered bottom and he began to growl with unfulfilled desire at her actions.

Thinking of the jeans covering her butt got her thinking of the denim that covered his and how she wanted that material removed from him.

Reluctantly she pulled away from his still swaying body to basically leer at him in those jeans while licking her lips.

"Tear 'em off," she ordered huskily.

Knowing exactly what the little vixen meant and seeing how turned on she was by the idea, he figured out the best way to remove the remainder of his clothing to her satisfaction.

Her eyes widened in shock and she gasped at the sound of his claws being unleashed, but relaxed when she saw he'd only unsheathed about an inch of one blade.

Then she gaped at him as he took that inch of razor sharp adamantium and ran it the whole way down the side seam of his pants.

One pant leg parted and fell away from his body while he sliced down the other leg.

And just like that he was standing naked before her.

Except for his cowboy hat.

She blinked.

Repeatedly for several moments.

Eventually she regained enough of her senses to grab that hat and place it on her own head before she pushed him onto the bed.

"Shuga, Ah'm ready for mah rahde now," she declared as she crawled into the bed on top of him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: AnnaMay-Ker and other readers who are curious about the fact that the serum has indeed worn off, please refer back to Chapter 18 "Just To Be Clear PTII" and my note to Destiny Phoenix. Also, the theory laid out in chapter 5 was that Rogue's mutation was mostly psychological. Her "deadly" skin developed from a childhood where she was never touched and led to believe something was wrong with her skin. For that reason, when her mutation was triggered it manifested itself in the form of the "poison skin" she grew up believing she had. Taking that theory as actual fact, Betsy developed a plan to get Rogue to change that belief and therefore control her mutation. (Side note: Rogue's skin will always be absorbent as she does possess an advanced X-Gene and that is the way it developed into a mutation for her, but y'all will see that now that she has learned the secret or "key" to her skin she can control when it absorbs so she can safely touch those she cares for and still kick the butts of her enemies.) Now, about this plan, WE know that the serum only lasts 12 hours. We got little peeks into the whole scheme of things, BUT Logan and Rogue have both been lead, quite successfully, to believe that the effects of the serum are permanent. As they're away at the lake and just enjoying being together, they don't know that back at the mansion Kurt and Scott have their abilities again. As Rogue believes herself to be cured, she's focused solely on relishing the ability to touch her lover. Until the couple returns to the mansion after their weekend, they live under the illusion that she's cured and as we're all reading only what Logan and Rogue are thinking, doing and feeling, the fact that the serum has worn off doesn't enter into the story. 

Have no fear, y'all I will get to all of that in the final chapters. I've got it all written down and planned out, but first I'm having fun writing the Rogan scenes so the whole plot goes onto a back burner. Just go with it. :-P


	23. What A Ride

__

WARNING!!! This chapter contains explicitly sexual and adult situations that is not intended to nor should be read by anyone under the age of 18 or sensitive to such adult material. Read on at your own risk and let it be known that I warned ya.

Also a friendly note from the author: All readers inspired by the ice scene depicted in this installment, please be very careful in trying such an act yourself. There's nothing that spoils the mood like someone choking on an ice cube. *blushes and that's all I'm gonna say on the matter*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

What A Ride

"I love your enthusiasm, darlin', but you're wearing too many clothes," Logan said between the kisses Rogue was planting all over his face and lips.

She didn't stop her kissing or grinding or caressing him to remove the shirt or jeans she wore.

Instead she nipped his earlobe and told him to take them off for her.

Surprised by the suggestion, but happy to oblige he shifted her a bit and quickly cut the clothing from her body.

When he pulled her firmly back against his body hers was stiff with shock.

"You … ruined … mah … clothes," she said slowly.

"Sure did," he grinned up at her then reminded. "Ya had me ruin mine, too."

"Ah didn't tell ya to ruin mah clothes, Ah told ya ta take 'em off for me!" she shrieked.

"You're naked now, aren't ya?"

For a few minutes she alternately gaped and glared at him speechlessly while he just stared up at her with an arched brow now accompanying his grin.

"Ya know darn well Ah didn't mean for ya to tear mah clothes off," she pouted against his neck.

"I know that _now._ There ain't no use cryin' over spilled milk so ya wanna drop it and get back to what you were doing?" he suggested.

Though she continued to pout, she moaned and responded eagerly when he raised his head to kiss those pouty lips.

"I'll buy ya new clothes," he promised between kisses. "That make ya feel better?"

Her answer was a slight nod as she forgot her huff over the ruined garments and realized she was lying naked on his equally nude and very aroused body.

A smile touched her mouth then she pushed herself upright until she was kneeling astride his hips.

The shift put his large, pulsing erection against her wet center.

Still smiling, she looked down into his eyes, raised a hand to pull the cowboy hat down low on her head then began wiggling her hips around so that the tip of his shaft rubbed over her clitoris as he'd shown her to do that morning.

He smiled wickedly at her actions and reached up to run his fingertips over her breasts then down across her stomach to her hips.

While his left hand stayed on her hip to guide her motions his right one slid between her legs to test her readiness.

She froze briefly at the sensual caress before her body shuddered in reaction.

His fingers stroked around and plunged into her until she was moaning wildly and thrusting her hips into his hand.

"Ready for your ride, darlin'?" he growled.

Having forgotten about all her plans in favor of enjoying his caresses, it took her a moment to understand his meaning.

When the meaning did sink in though, she shivered with anticipation, looked into his eyes with a smile on her face and nodded.

With that consent, he removed his fingers from her core and replaced them with the velvety tip of his erection.

Then he placed the hand lightly on her hip and lay unmoving beneath her.

"It's all you now. Take as little or as much as you want," he instructed roughly, as the restraint he was exercising over his body became obvious.

At first she didn't do anything then she started the twisting, wiggling motions of her hips that had been such fun.

And it was all kinds of fun again.

Logan was being tortured by her actions, but from her expression she was enjoying herself so he just let her have her fun.

Until he couldn't resist thrusting upward a little bit.

She gasped as the move sank more of his length into her and because that felt so good, she lowered herself until he was buried to the hilt inside her.

He growled at that and gripped her hips more tightly in his hands.

Instinctively, Rogue began raising and lowering herself on his shaft. The sensations had her eyes drifting shut as her head fell back, arching her torso toward him.

Taking her up on the unspoken invitation, Logan curled his chest upward and urged hers down until her breasts were reachable by his mouth. Instantly, his lips latched on to one hard nipple while he began guiding the movements of her hips on his.

Somehow he showed her just how to combine her current riding motions with the twisting moves she'd been doing before.

It was a lesson that led quickly to pure ecstasy and as her movements got harder and more erratic his became deeper and more controlled while she rode out the storm bursting forth within her convulsing body.

As her first climax of the night ebbed, he held her body firmly above his when it would have collapsed limply to his chest. 

Rather than allow her a moment's rest, he moved a hand from her hips to encourage her to brace her own hands on his shoulders. He then slid that hand to her abdomen so that his thumb was pressing and rubbing against the highly sensitized nub between her legs. 

"Hold on, darlin'," he growled between labored breaths. "This ride ain't over yet."

Moments later, as the ride intensified once more, Rogue grabbed the hat from her head, waved it around above her like a seasoned cowgirl and yelled out a passionate, "Yeeeeeeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaaw."

~*~*~

"Wow."

Her smug lover didn't really need any more proof of how well he'd satisfied her, but Rogue just couldn't stop her lips from uttering the single amazed word.

His chest rumbled with laughter beneath hers at that amazement, but she didn't care.

__

Tha man should be givin' lessons on this stuff, she thought as her mind became capable of thought again.

In the hotel room Thursday night, she'd been amazed by the sensations he stirred in her. 

Last night had heightened those sensations to an intense level and she honestly could have killed him for not taking things further.

This morning had … blown her mind … rocked her world … tickled all her ivories. Even with the surprising twinges of pain brought about by the loss of her virginity.

But what they'd just done …. she had no words. 

Except _WOW_.

So if he wanted to gloat a bit, she didn't care.

Now what he was doing right now was reason for concern.

"Where ya goin'?" she asked with a pouting frown when he shifted her off of him on to the bed and rose.

"Gotta get something to use as a blindfold and the ice, darlin'," he explained as his eyes scanned the room for a suitable veil for her eyes.

"What?" 

"You got your strip show and the ride ya wanted, so now we do the ice scene."

"What ice scene?"

With a shrug, he picked up the remains of his t-shirt and moved to wrap it around her head so it covered her eyes completely.

"Trust me," he whispered into her ear before he slowly lick the earlobe. "And don't touch that shirt."

Curious and vaguely remembering her promise to let him act out the ice cube scene from 9 ½ Weeks, she dropped her hands from her head and focused her other senses on what he was doing.

Her entire being was so in tuned with his that she knew the moment he left the room to get the ice, even though his retreating footsteps were too quiet to hear.

Moments later her ears detected the slight clink of ice against glass.

She smiled at the knowledge he'd returned and in anticipation of this new experience.

If she had had any idea her first time would be like this with him, she would have forgotten all modesty and jumped his bones the second they had even the tiniest bit of privacy without ever wasting a second thought on any other guy alive.

The bed sank and bounced slightly as his weight returned to it and any thoughts in her head scattered like fallen leaves in a gust of wind.

"Lay down on your back," he ordered from somewhere near her hip.

Without hesitation, she shifted from her slightly reclining position to the one he wanted her in.

From the way he shifted and the direction from which she again heard the clinking of ice in a glass, she could tell he'd placed the glass on the bedside table.

Her body jerked in surprise, delight and a little shock as he slid a cold hand from her neck to her belly button. There was no ice in the hand, but it had obviously been the one to carry the dishes of cubes into the room and it was cold from that contact.

His hand warmed quickly from the contact with her body and he removed it from her flesh.

She could hear the ice clinking as he moved that hand to pick out a cube to begin tormenting her with.

Seconds later the icy chunk of frozen water was skating over her flesh, raising goosebumps everywhere it touched and making her cry out at the cold.

The cube melted slowly with every brush over her skin, leaving a trail of moisture behind that Logan eagerly licked up.

No matter how she twisted and pled, he kept every touch of the ice and lick of his tongue light and brief.

Then he acted out the ultimate moment in the movie's scene. He settled between her legs and proceeded to pleasure her with the ice cube held in his mouth.

~*~*~

She came to slowly from the intense orgasm his oral play with the ice cube had brought on.

He had removed her blindfold and was soothingly stroking her body to ease it from that last plateau.

When he saw she was alert again he smiled smugly and kissed her lips gently.

"I told you you'd love that," he growled against her mouth.

"So ya did, shuga," she smiled up at him. "Ah'll nevah doubt ya again."

"Good to hear."

With that cryptic comment his hands urged her to roll over onto her stomach then placed a pillow under her hips to lift them up off the bed.

"Logan?" she asked a little unsurely over her shoulder.

"Trust me," was all he said as he slid inside her body.

So she did just that.

And boy was she glad she did.

~*~*~

"Again?" she asked with a broad smile when she felt him hard and pressing against her hip an hour later.

"It's one of the benefits of my mutation," he smirked as he pressed her onto her back and slid on top of her.

__

Indeed it was, was all she could think as he took his place inside her and quickly made her speechless.

~*~*~

"Again?" she asked a little surprised some thirty minutes after yet another climax when he was ready and wanting more.

"Told ya. It's my mutation. Only takes me a few minutes to completely recover from each time," he nibbled at her neck. "I can keep going and going and going…."

She giggled as his words brought to mind a Logan version of the Energizer Bunny – minus the pink bunny suit of course.

Then he claimed her body once more and bunnies and laughing were erased from her mind.

~*~*~

"What time is it?" she moaned sleepily as she felt his hands wandering hungrily over her body as they lay spooned together in the bed with her back to his chest.

"Who cares?" he growled while licking and sucking on her earlobe.

When he raised her leg and draped it back over his hip so he could thrust into her, she stopped caring about how late it must be.

~*~*~

"More?" she groaned in disbelief as he awoke her once again.

"You're the one who said you could do everything we did this morning and then some tonight," he reminded while his hands continued to arouse her body.

"Ah said that?" she tried to remember the statement but couldn't.

"Yep," he kissed her neck. 

"You did," he kissed each of her once again hard nipples. 

"At lunch," his tongue dipped into her navel.

"Right before you got started on your "9 ½ Weeks" fantasy," he reminded before his mouth dove between her legs.

"Oh," she said. 

Not because she finally remembered having said what he said she said, but because he was …. tickling all her ivories again.

~*~*~

"Try it again, ya horn dog, and Ah'll put yer sexy lil butt on tha floor," Rogue growled when the realization that her man was wanting her yet again. 

Sure she didn't mean that and smiling at her dubbing his butt sexy, Logan continued licking his way up her spine.

"Logan, Ah need ta sleep!" she declared, though the impact of the words was lessened by the fact that she hadn't even lifted her head from the pillow beneath it to utter the words.

Eventually his conscience opened its big mouth and reminded him that she had been a virgin until that morning and was still adjusting to all this.

So with a sigh, he reluctantly shifted away from her tempting body and tried to get his under control.

Then he turned his head and saw once again the way her creamy white skin was glowing in the moonlight that was coming through the bedroom window and knew there'd be no controlling his lust.

Unable to resist, he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him until they were again nestled together like two spoons.

Rogue moaned with sleepy contentment at being held that way by him and she snuggled back against his body intending to go back to sleep that way.

A second later her left eye cracked open with a glare in her green gaze as his lips began nibbling seductively at her neck.

The right one flew open soon after that when his hand tried to lift her leg over his hip again for a repeat performance of something he'd tried earlier that night.

Groaning, she pushed herself away from him and into a sitting position. 

Before he knew what she was up to, Logan found himself landing bare butt first on the floor next to the bed she'd just shoved him from.

For long moments they just stared at each other.

She was a bit surprised she'd actually managed to get him off the bed and he was totally disbelieving that she'd even tried it.

"Darlin'," he began in his sexy 'I-want-sex-now-and-ya –know-you-do-too' tone of voice. He then looked pointedly at his unsatisfied erection and then back at her nude body with a look very similar to one she'd seen on a puppy dog's face that wanted to be fed.

Too tired to try being funny she looked at that erection, ignored his slightly pleading expression, and remembered what he'd done to her last night when she wanted sex.

"Cold showahs work pretty well with that kinda thing," she said before rolling over and going back to sleep.

Mouth hanging open in shock, the man on the floor continued to stare at the outline of her body on the bed until her soft snores told him she'd really gone to sleep.

Growling fiercely, he pushed himself to his feet and stalked into the bathroom for one of the cold showers she'd suggested.

As the icy water started pounding his overheated flesh, he cursed the woman who'd left him in such a state and vowed to get even for this treatment one of these days.


	24. The One

A/N: This is a short, angsty/dramatic chapter that I felt should be included before I get back to the silliness of the story when they return to the mansion. Rogue's POV is based on the song "The One" by Blu Cantrell and "Sometimes" by Clay Davidson inspired me to write Logan's words and actions. The lyrics for both songs can be found at the end of this installment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

The One

The following morning, it was a somber Rogue that lay in another bubble bath drawn by Logan.

Unlike yesterday's bath, she was completely alone for this one while he got everything ready for their departure. Knowing that at that very moment he was washing the bed linens and cleaning the place up so that there was no sign they'd ever been there made her depressed. Without the crumpled sheets with two little drops of blood from her lost virginity on the bed it was just too easy to imagine that their incredible weekend hadn't happened.

__

That wasn't completely true, she conceded. 

Logan might be able to forget the weekend by cleaning the place up if he chose to, but Rogue had mementos. 

He'd left marks of possession all over her body and many more on her mind and soul.

Her lips were red and swollen from all the kisses they'd exchange.

Hickeys and lovebites decorated her neck and shoulders.

His fingers had left light bruises on her hips, waist and arms during moments of extreme pleasure when he hadn't been able to hold back any longer.

In addition to those markings he'd left behind, she had a stiffness in all her overused and newly discovered muscles. When she'd tried to stand after getting out of bed to get into this bath, her legs had bowed and shook beneath her from the workout they'd gotten. 

With her first real smile of the day, she slid a hand down over her abdomen to the apex of her thighs where she swore she could feel his presence as strongly as she had during the night.

Nothing could top this weekend in her memories and part of her was afraid it would never happen again.

__

Yes, Logan had said he loved her, but did he mean it?

He was a surprisingly chivalrous gentleman, he may have only said it to ease his guilt at being given and accepting her chastity.

God she couldn't live with it if he felt guilty, Rogue thought worriedly.

His every action these past few days and many of them before they'd known this passion between them was mutual indicated that he was the one for her.

A lot of people would be surprised to know that goth and rock wasn't the only music she listened to.

She was also familiar with most all the other genres, though, and there was a song by Blu Cantrell that she knew. It was called "The One" and she couldn't hear it without thinking of Logan as her one.

The songs' lyrics had gripped her the second she first heard the song and they were so fitting.

He was now her lover as well as one of her best friends.

He'd been a guiding force in her life since the very second they'd first met. Even if it had been Mystique playing at being Wolverine in that first real moment, "he" had had a profound effect on her.

In all the chaos of her life, he'd been the one to hold her when she needed held.

But now she was left uncertain about how well he fit the best lines of the song.

__

Was she now and would she always be his baby?

Will he **always** be the one to wipe away her tears and kiss away her fears?

Would he always be there making everything all right?

Getting tearful at the haunting thoughts, she tried to shake them off and reassure herself that it was Logan she was thinking such things about and she being foolish to doubt he wouldn't be there for always.

__

What if he doesn't really love her, though, and all she was left with were nights even lonelier than the ones she'd known before sharing a bed with the man of her dreams?

That thought was too much and all the happiness she'd experienced that weekend vanished in a flood of self-doubting tears.

~*~*~

Even over the washer's rinse cycle Logan heard those tears begin and stiffened.

Clenching his hands into fists so tight his claws nearly shot out, he again cursed reality's intrusion on their weekend.

This was all too new for both of them and having to return to the mansion so soon was torture.

Praying to whatever God may listen that she wasn't regretting what they'd done, he stalked from the laundry room to stand unsurely outside the bathroom.

His heart clenched painfully at the sight of her huddled in the bathtub, her knees drawn up under her forehead and her arms wrapped tightly around them as she sobbed.

Rogue was the only woman he'd ever bothered to deal with when they cried and he had no idea how to ease her tears this time if he was the cause of them.

Suddenly she stiffened and raised her head with a few loud sniffles.

"Logan?" she whispered while turning to look at him in the doorway.

Tears were running down her cheeks from her glistening green eyes and he forgot any hesitations and simply responded to those tears as he did all her others.

He rushed to her and scooped her up in his arms.

Her arms were dripping with water and bubbles from the bath as she wrapped them tightly around his neck, but he didn't give a damn. She was holding him back and that gave him all the reassurances he needed.

Rocking her gently he kissed and wiped away her every tear until they stopped falling and she buried her face against his neck.

For a moment he allowed her to stay like that while he kept up the gentle rocking motion of his body, but he had to know the reason for her tears and slowly tilted her head back until their eyes were locked.

"Why the waterworks, darlin'?" he asked gruffly.

Smiling weakly at the typically Logan question, Rogue bit her lower lip nervously as the answer formed in her mind.

"Ah'm scared," she eventually whispered while trying to break eye contact.

Gripping her chin firmly, he refused to allow her to dodge his intense stare.

"Scared of what?"

"Everythang," her eyes filled again with tears and her lip quivered as her concerns began spilling out. "Do you really love me? What did this weekend really mean? What do we do next? Will we ever do this again? How long will this last? How will the team react to us being togethah? Are we really togethah? What do we do when Ah start school again? Wha -"

He cut off her flow of questions first with a gentle finger over her lips then his mouth pressing against them.

It only took her a second to respond to the kiss.

Moments later they pulled apart to gulp much needed air into their lungs after the deep, feverish embrace.

While she was still trying to regain her senses, he tucked her head into the crook of his neck and pressed his mouth against her hair.

"I don't give many speeches, so you better listen to this one good 'cause I won't repeat it," he began. "First, I have to say I don't know much about love, but everything I do know about it tells me that's exactly what I feel for you. I've loved you from the moment you placed your lil gloved hand in mine on the Blackbird the day you joined the team. I love you now and I'll love you till we're both dead and probably much longer than that. This weekend meant everything. It meant that we love each other enough to share every bit of ourselves without reservation. And it's just the beginning.

"After we leave here I'm not all that sure what we'll do, but you can be damned sure we'll be doing it together. Once ya start back to school we may not be able to slip away for another weekend like this, but I guarantee you we'll be doing everything we've done here at the mansion when we get back. I don't give a damn how the team reacts, but if the Prof. has a problem with us living together we'll get ourselves a place of our own. This is love, darlin', and it's gonna last us forever."

Tilting her head back to stare into his passionately sincere eyes, Rogue felt her heart stop beating for a moment before it took flight in her chest.

Laughing and crying in her delight, she covered his face with kisses while pushing him back to lie on the floor.

She'd known the song suited him.

__

He was the one.

For always.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

The One – _Lyrics courtesy of lyricsxp.com  
Blu Cantrell  
(So Blu)_  
  
I've been looking for a man  
To stay here till the end  
He will not just be my lover  
He'll be my best friend  
He will always be a  
Guiding force in my life  
Then he'll hold me tight  
  
Bridge:  
He will never leave me standing  
In the pouring rain  
He will never disrespect me  
Call me out my name  
He will never have me waiting  
Till the morning comes  
I will always be his baby  
When it's said and done  
  
'Cause he'll be the one  
'Cause he'll be the one  
'Cause he'll be the one  
'Cause he'll be the one  
  
He will always be the one  
To wipe away my tears  
He will always be the one  
To kiss away my fears  
He will always be there  
Making everything all right  
Be the one to always love me  
No more lonely nights  
  
Bridge

**__**

Sometimes – Lyrics courtesy of goodwinmusic.com

Clay Davidson

(Unconditional)

She got my full attention   
With an out of nowhere question   
I thought she knew the answer to   
She felt the need to ask   
Cause just last night she'd had   
Some crazy dream about losin' me 

She said do I still turn you on and fill your every need   
I need to hear you say you still love me 

__

CHORUS:   
And I don't mean sometimes   
Not almost always   
Not a little or most times   
All night and all day   
Tell me I'm (Darlin' you're) in you (my) heart and on   
your (my) mind   
Baby and I don't mean sometimes 

I told her darlin' shake me   
Next time that you're awakened   
By the thought that I could go   
And I'll take you in my arms   
Oh with all my heart   
I'll make it clear that I ain't going nowhere 

Yes you're all I want and all I'll ever need   
I'm still hopelessly in love as I can be 

She got my full attention   
With an out of nowhere question   
I thought she knew the answer to.


	25. Green With Envy

A/N: This chapter is very anti-Jean and sets the stage for a royal rumble between Rogue and Red. The next chapter or two is not intended for fans of Jean, Scott or the Jott relationship. To put it simply – They're going down. I'm feeling a lil … mean and bloodthirsty. *muahahahahaha*

*speaking as Rogue* I'll teach her not ta mess with mah man! 

*huffs in disgust* And the nerve of Jean in this chapter. *growls* The sheer gall of that girl! I'm soooo gonna enjoy writing these next few installments.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
**__**

Green With Envy

The Professor sat back in his wheelchair and smiled with satisfaction as he picked up on the emotions of the couple approaching his office. 

He knew better than to try peering into their minds, but both Logan and Rogue were exuding such happiness and satisfaction that it was impossible for the telepath to ignore.

"Come in," he called out when he sensed their presence on the other side of the door into the room.

"I hate it when you do that, Chuck," Logan said with a smile as he and Rogue walked into the room.

The pair was the most relaxed Charles had ever seen them.

Logan's arm was curled around Rogue's shoulders and the girl – _young woman_, he corrected himself – had both her arms wrapped around her lover's waist while she leant against his side.

They were quite like a pair of newlyweds fresh from an idyllic honeymoon.

"You both look quite refreshed this afternoon," the Professor said with an indulgent smile, "I trust your little vacation was satisfactory."

Logan smiled smugly down at his girl, who was blushing, at that statement before settling into a chair in front of the Professor's desk.

"Yeah. That it was," the man growled as Rogue buried her flushed face against his neck. "Thanks again for lettin' us have the place for the weekend."

"You're quite welcome," Charles said as accepted the keys the other man tossed onto his desk.

"We have another reason for comin' to see you, Charles."

Made curious by Logan's use of his given name rather than Chuck, Bub or any of the other nicknames the other man was so fond of, Xavier arched a brow and waited to hear their other reason for this visit.

"Rogue and I are together now. I want her moved into my room tonight and I'd like your permission for her to stay there. If ya got a problem with that, we're prepared to get ourselves a place of our own somewhere else."

"Nonsense, Logan. Rogue is an adult now and it's been obvious for quite some time that this is the direction your relationship was meant to go in. I wouldn't have given you access to the lake house if I had any objections to this change," the Professor said simply. "I trust your bedroom is big enough for the both of you?"

"Plenty," Logan replied.

"Ah'll need ta move mah vanity and a dressah from mah room, though. Logan's furniture is a lil sparse for mah new wardrobe," Rogue spoke up for the first time. "Oh, and Ah suppose Ah'll need a desk for doin' mah schoolwork."

"Not a problem. Rearrange things however you need to, Rogue. Hank and Logan will be able to move the pieces you require without any problems."

The young woman sent him a big, grateful smile before tucking her face back against the chest of the man holding her so close.

__

So Betsy was right, the Professor thought absently as he saw how the bare skin on skin contact between the couple resulted in no reaction from Rogue's mutation.

"Thank you, Charles. It wouldn't have stopped us from being together if you disapproved, but I'm glad to have your blessing on this," Logan said as he rose and placed his precious bundle on her own two feet.

Charles rounded the desk to accept the hand the other man extended and shook it with a wry smile.

"The two of you are a perfect pair, there's nothing I could do but approve of your relationship," he turned his attention to Rogue. "I take it that Hank's serum is still working?"

"Lahke a charm, Professah. Ah've been lahke a whole new person ahll weekend. Ah really cahn't thank either of you enough," the 'cured' girl gushed. "How are Kurt and Scott doin'?"

Remembering the specifics of the team's little deception, Charles replied, "Kurt has taken the antidote and returned to his mutated self, but it continues to work for Scott. As we're trying to keep this serum under wraps until we know for sure how it works, you'll see him still wearing his shades around the others."

"Will Ah be expected to keep quiet about mah bein' touchable?" she asked with a frown.

"That little secret is bound to get out quickly as it appears the two of you can barely keep your hands off each other, but for now we'll simply explain that you've learned to control your skin, should anyone ask."

Smiling once more, the young woman cuddled up to her man with a happy sigh, making the Professor again smile indulgently.

"I'm sure you're both eager to get settled in, so I'll see you at dinner," he said to draw their meeting to an end. "If you need any assistance moving the furniture Rogue requires, I'm sure you'll find Hank in the lab, Logan."

Nodding absently at his words the couple turned and left the room the same way they'd entered it, holding on to each other and smiling like the happiest people on earth.

Satisfied by the success of all Betsy's planning and their deception about Hank's serum, Charles returned to his desk to study the papers he'd been looking over before Logan and Rogue entered.

Before he got back to the business of paying the institutes' bills there was one thing he had to do and he decided not to waste another moment in case the lover's daze the couple was in lessened enough for them to catch on to a few things.

__

~~ Scott, report to the lab immediately for another dose of Hank's serum. We need to continue the ruse for a little longer. ~~

~*~*~

Outside the Professor's office, the happy couple was exchanging yet another kiss.

Reluctantly their lips parted after just a few moments and Logan sent Rogue off to start packing her things to move into his room.

Though she hated being apart from him, the idea of permanently settling her things in a room with his was thrilling and she rushed to make it a reality.

Seconds after she entered her bedroom to start getting her things, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she called out from the depths of her closet.

Arms loaded with clothes she stepped from the closet and turned to see the girls standing just inside her room.

"Perfect timin'," Rogue smiled and dumped the clothes on her bed. "Y'all can help me move."

While she looked at the pile of garments and belatedly thought how she needed to get boxes or something to pack her things into, the girls observing her exchanged questioning glances.

"Move?" Betsy, Jean, Kitty and Tabitha all asked at once.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Rogue's smile got even bigger as she rushed to hug all of her friends.

"Thank y'all, soooo much! Ah'm movin' in with Logan and it nevah woulda happened without all ya've done for me," she gushed after the hugs.

"Moving in with Logan." Jean repeated slowly. "Does the Professor know about this?"

"Of course. Logan and Ah went ta see him and get his permission tha second we got back," Rogue said. "He said Logan and Ah are a perfect pair."

"Aw, luv, that's wonderful!" Betsy exclaimed while giving her friend another hug.

Jean continued to look on in shock while Kitty and Tabitha both expressed their delight at the news and grabbed the other girl for more hugs.

"So are you guys, like, getting married now?" Kitty wanted to know.

"We haven't discussed that yet, but Ah ain't ready fer all that just yet. Ah wanna marry him an' all, but it'd just be kinda weird bein' the only married senior at school and Ah've got enough things about me thaht make me weird to tha others there," the center of attention explained.

__

Married? Jean thought with utter disbelief.

Betsy turned her purple haired head to glare warningly at Red.

__

~~ Wanting another round with me in the Danger Room, are you luv? ~~

Covering her still bruised face, Jean's eyes widened as she jumped back from the other girl.

Rogue looked up concerned at the movement and gasped when she finally noticed how beat up the older girl looked.

"Aw, man, Ah missed a battle?" she moaned.

Betsy's lips, which still bore a cut from one of Red's sucker punches, curled into a wickedly satisfied smile.

"No battle, luv, just a little bit of fun with one of Logan's simulations in the Danger Room," the British girl explained with a look that dared Jean to say anything to the contrary.

Not wanting anyone to know about what had gone down between the other telepath and herself, Jean nodded and smiled weakly at Rogue.

Taking in the purple and yellowish bruising that was visible all along the older girl's face even through the makeup she wore, Rogue winced sympathetically.

"Y'all gotta be careful of the drones in mah man's simulations," she said, accepting their explanation. "Ah love him, but we ahll know how sadistic he can be with our trainin'."

Resisting the urge to gloat and say how it wasn't a drone that did that number on the priss's face, Betsy grabbed her friend's arm and sat her down on the bed.

"I want details, luv," she demanded.

"Oh yeah. Dish the dirt, Rogue, and don't leave out any of the juicy details. I wanna know all you and Mr. Tall, Dark & Growly have done this weekend," Tabitha plopped on the bed to order.

"Totally. I mean, like, where did you guys go?" Kitty questioned.

Blushing a deep shade of red at the intimate details and memories their questions stirred up in her mind, Rogue bit her lips and debated what to tell them.

The two telepaths in the room sensed the girl's line of thought.

Betsy smiled delightedly at her friend's blush, but refused to pry into Rogue's thoughts to get any idea of what caused it.

Jean was far less thoughtful and she became utterly jealous of the images she saw swirling through the younger girl's head. 

__

Logan pressing Rogue against a counter her to orgasm with just his mouth and hands on her breasts and his hips grinding against hers.

Logan lying Rogue out on a table, spreading her legs and burying his face between them to torment her until she screamed and convulsed with extreme pleasure.

Numerous visions of Logan's impressive nudity and arousal as well as his incredible techniques as a lover flooded Jean's mind and body as she pried the memories from Rogue's mind.

Bitterly, the older girl reflected on how much better Logan was as a lover than Scott. 

__

Scott never went down on her, an inner voice griped as she replayed and counted no less than six of Rogue's memories where Logan orally satisfied her.

__

It was too dirty, Jean.

Real men didn't do that, Jean.

The redhead scoffed as she remembered those arguments her boyfriend made against satisfying her that way.

Shaking off thoughts of her own relationship, the telepath refocused on the much steamier and more satisfying memories in Rogue's mind.

"I love you now and I'll love you till we're both dead and probably much longer than that."

Jean gasped aloud as, with her prying telepathy, she saw and heard the declaration Logan had made to Rogue just hours ago.

__

He should be saying that to me, she thought furiously.

Rogue finally sensed the telepath's invasive actions and jumped furiously to her feet to face Jean.

"What tha hell are ya doin' in mah head?!" Rogue demanded. "You know that only tha Professah is allowed ta prah inta mah head without permission and that's only undah extreme circumstances. Yer nevah allowed ta go in there. Evah!"

"I…I…," the older girl could offer no explanation or defense for her actions and simply turned tail and ran from the room.

"Don't mind her, luv, she's just been bitten by the green bug of jealousy," Betsy said.

"Jealousy?" Rogue turned to her friend, "Jealous of what?"

"You," Kitty answered with a smile. "She, like, totally flipped when we all figured out you and Logan and slipped away for the weekend."

"Yeah, old Red's got a thing for men that are clearly taken by someone else and so she's decided Logan would make a nice notch in her bedpost," Tabitha smirked.

"WHAT?!"

Staring the other girls into silence, Betsy rose from the bed to give her friend's arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't you fret about it, pet. Logan never has and never would be interested in that twit, which is a lot of the reason why she's so jealous of you completely catching his eye."

"Logan loves me, Ah ain't worried about that. It's just that bitch has been playin' at bein' mah friend through all this when she wants mah man?! Tha nerve!"

Seeing the way Rogue's hands curled into fists of fury, Kitty and Tabitha exchanged excited glances thinking they were going to be witnessing a real rumble between her and Jean.

Much to their disappointment, Betsy soothed her friend and got her back to matters that were far more important than Red's envy.

"Come on, now, we've got moving to do!"


	26. Don't Mess With Mah Man

WARNING: This chapter contains violence against one Jean Grey. *muahahahaha* Um … *clears throat* If such situations are not to your liking you may want to skip over this installment or just skim bits of it. Before you start reading though, I want to make it clear – Red sooooooooo had it COMING!

Here are some delightful tunes that inspired this chapter: Nivea "Don't Mess With My Man" Stroke 9 "Kick Some Ass" Dream "He Loves You Not" and "Get Ready" from the Ready to Rumble Soundtrack. :-) 

Enjoy! :-P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Don't Mess With Mah Man

"Whoa, this bed is _huge_," Kitty exclaimed as the girls entered Logan's bedroom carrying Rogue's things.

"You guys are gonna be bumping uglies all the time in this thing," Tabitha teased as she put down the box she carried and threw herself on the king sized mattress. "Check out how it bounces!"

Giggling, Kitty put down her burden then made a running leap into the bed.

The two girls rolled and bounced around on the bed while Betsy and Rogue rolled their eyes at their antics.

When Tabs snagged Kitty around the waist and started pretending she was Logan about to ravish Rogue on the big bouncy bed, they all started laughing.

Betsy and Rogue both put the items they carried down on the floor to join the goofballs in bed.

"No, no," Rogue said while turning Tabitha to face her, "mah man doesn't kiss lahke that, his kisses are more lahke this."

While Betsy and Kitty watched in surprise, their friend placed her hand over the blonde's mouth and proceeded to press her back to the bed as she passionately kissed the back of that hand.

Tabitha started laughing so hard Rogue couldn't stay on top of her, so she rolled off the blonde and nearly out of the bed.

That near fall had them all collapsing back against the mattress and giggling hysterically.

"So, like, what else can you tell us about your man?" Kitty eventually sat up to ask while rubbing tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Oh yeah, you're not gonna get out of telling us this time," Tabitha said with an eager gleam in her eyes. "What's the big badass like in bed?"

Rolling her eyes at the younger girls' prying, Rogue turned to Betsy to get help shutting them up. Only to find her friend leaning forward in eager anticipation of whatever Rogue would reveal to them.

"Oh, grow up," the center of their attention groaned while grabbing a pillow to smack at them all.

They just laughing and wrestled the pillow away.

"Come on, luv, just give us a few little details," Betsy urged.

Smiling reluctantly at their pleading expressions, Rogue laid back on the bed with a resigned sigh.

"Whaddya wanna know?"

~*~*~

"On the table?" Tabitha exclaimed in wide-eyed wonder. "Right on the table?"

Blushing with pride at how her lover's exploits and abilities with her over the weekend awed her friends, Rogue nodded.

"I've gotta get Bri to try that," the blonde said with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

The other girls laughed and playfully smacked Tabby with pillows. In the past thirty minutes, BoomBoom had gotten that thoughtful look in her eye numerous times as some intimate detail Rogue revealed gave her all kinds of ideas of what she could do with Brian.

"That is the last time I want to hear you mention my brother's name with that look in your eyes, luv. It's truly disturbing," Betsy stated with a chuckle.

Suddenly, while the other girls laughed and continued to chatter, the British girl stiffened and turned her attention to the bedroom door.

Her blue eyes narrowed into a furious glare as her telepathy detected Logan approaching the bedroom.

With one persistent little redhead dogging his steps and keeping him from reaching his room.

Slowly, the others detected her stiffness and growing fury and looked at their friend questioningly.

__

~~ Jean's got Logan pinned down in the hallway, luv. ~~

Rogue's green eyes widened in disbelief at Red's nerve then narrowed to mere slits as they focused on the door.

__

~~ Ah got this one, Betts. ~~

~*~*~

"Look, Jean, can't this wait until later? I've gotta get Rogue moved into my room and I want it done before dinner," Logan growled in frustration as the redhead again placed herself in his path and gave him a pouty look.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Logan," the girl moved toward him until he was pressed against the wall trying to avoid her. "You don't really want that … girl moving in with you. You're a _man_. The Wolverine. You need a woman, not some scared insecure outcast like the Rogue."

Growling angrily he glared pointedly at the hand that she was stroking over his chest until she got the message and nervously dropped it.

"Rogue is none of that, Red. She's a woman in ways you'll never understand and I really do want her moving in with me."

Sensing his sincerity at the statement, the telepath first glared at him furiously then quickly rearranged her features to a come hither expression.

"Come on now, Logan," she seductively licked her pouty cherry glossed lips and grabbed his hands to place them on the mound of her breasts. "You expect me to believe you're not at all interested in having these all to yourself? And doing whatever you want with this?"

Frowning in disgust he watched her move his left hand between her legs at that second question just before she threw herself against him and tried stab her tongue into his unopening mouth.

The four girls who'd just entered the hallway stared at the pair in absolute disbelief.

Kitty and Tabitha were speechless with the belief that Logan was a willing participant, but Betsy and Rogue knew better and were reacting to the sheer audacity of Miss Grey.

While Jean was busy resisting Logan's attempts to shove him from his body, she was oblivious to their audience.

Which proved to be a typical Jean mistake.

The older girl was completely unprepared to defend herself when two hands suddenly wrapped themselves in her long red hair and furiously yanked her away from the man she'd had pinned to the wall.

Rogue quickly used her hold to throw the bitch against the wall on the other side of the hallway. She was focused completely on the skank who'd been messin' with her man, but managed to see Logan wiping all traces of the other girl's lip gloss and saliva from his mouth.

His actions assured her that he truly did love her and made Rogue all the more furious at Jean for actions.

Her narrowed green eyes watched the redhead slowly push herself up to stand leaning against the wall she been hurled into.

"Who do you think you are throwing me around like that?" she shrieked at Rogue.

"Jus' getting' some trash off mah man," the younger girl smirked as she sank into a fighting stance. "And now it's tahme ta take that trash out."

Squealing in fright, the telepath barely had time to dive out of the path of the kick aimed at her gut.

Ducking and rolling a few feet down the hallway she rose to her knees, turned to face her attacker and threw out a hand to shove the other girl back telekinetically.

Rogue was moved back only a few inches from the psychic thrust before she called dug her heels into the carpeting and lunged at the girl.

Their bodies collided with a thud that made the girls observing gasp, but the combatants didn't care. 

While Jean had the breath jarred out of her from the impact, Rogue took her advantage and pinned the girl to the floor.

"Did ya really think ya could get between me and mah man, bitch?" the younger girl growled as she twisted her hands in Red's hair and pulled her head up until they were face to face. "Scott about tha only jackass who wants sloppy seconds lahke you and Ah think you've pretty much blown that."

Gasping in anger at the statement, the pinned girl used a move she'd seen Rogue succeed with in training with Logan and levitated them until the were a few feet off the ground then she rolled their bodies in midair and dropped them to the ground.

Rogue's body slammed to the floor, leaving her slightly winded as Jean had intended, but the younger girl was a born fighter and recovered before the other girl could make another move.

With a few bucks and twists the now pinned girl got her legs up between their bodies and kicked Red off of her. The unexpected move sent the other girl reeling backward with a scream as Rogue didn't release her hair while pushing her off.

It hadn't been a planned move on Rogue's part, but as she saw and felt the clumps of hair in her hands she silently applauded her instinctive action.

Tearfully, the older girl forgot she was in the midst of battle and knelt on the floor clutching her beautiful mane of hair that had gotten so abused these past few days.

Taking the opening that presented itself, Rogue leap to her feet and moved to tower over sniffling twit.

"Quit yer whinin' and fight, Jean. Yer an X-Man, fer Christ's sake, act lahke one for once."

Eyes flaming with anger at the insult, Jean didn't hesitate to retaliate. 

But Rogue was ready for the automatic attack and laughing sidestepped the other girl's lunge and again grabbed onto that precious hair as her would be tackler flew past it's target. With a deft turn of her body, the younger girl used Jean's own momentum to send her crashing facefirst into the wall.

"You broke my nose!" Jean exclaimed as she felt blood trickling from her nostrils.

"Ah did?" Rogue grinned with delight at the complaint.

Stifling a laugh of pure admiration at his girl's skill, Logan decided it was now time to break things up as the abused telepath slumped, dazed and bleeding, against the wall.

He slid his arms around Rogue's waist and pulled her tensed body back against his when she would have moved in for the kill.

"Ya showed her who's boss, darlin'. She ain't worth getting' the Prof. upset at ya," he murmured while nibbling her ear and neck.

Smiling in triumph at the girl on the floor, Rogue melted into her lover's arms and moaned passionately at his kisses.

To show Red, who was glaring up at them and holding her nose in both hands, just how much Logan belonged to her, the girl tipped her head to the side and encouraged her man to put on a little show for the tramp.

With a growl that sent shivers of delight down her spine, he obeyed her body's urgings and began running his hands possessively over her body.

Those hands ran over her breasts, stomach and thighs in a manner that had Betsy, Kitty and Tabitha blushing and feeling like voyeurs.

Rogue was quickly forgetting that she was making a point and not simply being seduced by her lover as his hands pressed harder against her body and his lips became more demanding on her throat.

__

~~ Mahne. ~~

She finally focused enough to begin projecting to the rejected telepath.

__

~~ He is mahne and he lahkes it that way. You had to force his hands onta yer tramp body, but Ah can barely keep them off mahne. ~~

Eyes blazing with passion and possession for the man who held her, Rogue shifted the neckline of the shirt she wore to display the lovebites that marred her pale flesh from their time at the lake.

__

~~ He's put his mark on me. He's movin' me in with him. He loves me. Ahll you've done is piss everyone off bah messin' with him. Now get yer bony ass out of mah sahght and stay tha hell away from him or no one will stop me from teachin' ya what happens to poachahs on mah turf. ~~

Knowing the girl meant every word, Jean pushed quickly to her feet and turned to run, but Rogue had one last parting shot for her before she left.

"Ah don't blame ya fer wantin' him, Red. He's more man than you'll evah have, but remembah if ya evah make a move on him again you'll regret it," she warned aloud so everyone present bore witness to the warning. "If Cahke ain't man enough to please ya, Ah suggest ya trah diddlin' yer own fiddle and givin' up on tha fellas."

Humiliated, the older girl gasped then choked out a sob and ran in the direction of her bedroom.

Betsy, Kitty and Tabitha just continued to watch the scene in silence as, after banishing her enemy, Rogue turned in her lover's arms and threw herself against him.

Logan lifted and wrapped her legs around his waist while her arms slipped around his neck and her lips pressed feverishly to his.

Growling he ran his hands from her thighs up over her back to tangle in her short hair and hold her in place for a devouring kiss.

The unbridled passion between the couple was awe inspiring to the trio watching them, but it was a private thing – even if it appeared that the lover's were gonna rip each other's clothes off and do it right there in the hallway where anyone could come along and see them – and they knew it was time to make their own exits from the scene.

Betsy had to drag both the other girls away from staring at the couple as they kissed and moaned and growled and ground against each other.

As soon as the purple haired girl had the little voyeurs tucked around a corner and hidden from the sight of the lovers, all three of them expelled breaths they been holding and leaned against the wall.

"I gotta go find Brian," Tabitha exclaimed after a moment before rushing off to search for her boyfriend.

Betsy didn't need her telepathy to know that the blonde girl would be jumping her twin's bones the second she found him.

"Wow," Kitty said as she stayed leaning dazedly against the wall. "And I thought it was intense when _you_ went after Jean."

Betsy chuckled and silently applauded Rogue's success in that all too brief battle. 

A door slamming in the hallway they'd just abandoned had the British girl peeking back around the corner to see what had happened. Seeing that the hall was now empty except for the shirt Logan had been wearing and Rogue's shirt and bra lying discarded on the floor, Betsy again cheered for her friend. 

__

Bloody good thing they took it to a bedroom, though, she thought as moaning cries of "Oh, Logan" were now clearly heard from within Logan's room.

Turning to usher an eagerly eavesdropping Kitty far away from the enthusiastic lovers, Betsy smiled and hoped that Pietro would be able to make her act like that when their time came.


	27. Foolish Little Boy

A/N: Muahahaha, Selph, me dear, in this installment we're all going to see just how stupid Scott is! 

WARNING: This chapter contains brief reference to a sexual encounter, profanity, Scott stupidity, terrorizing and humiliation as well as continued Jean-bashing. Yippee! Um …. Honestly though, I may have gotten a liil carried away. 

It is inspired by an old song by The Shirelles called "Foolish Little Girl" but it has of course been adapted to reflect Scott's actions in this installment. The lyrics to said song are at the end of this chapter, along with a bit of playful commentary by me, I think you'll agree the chorus soooo fits our fickle lil Cyke. Oh, and before I forget, since music is SUCH an inspiration for me and most writers, I've selected the perfect song for Jean as well - while Scooter is "Foolish Little Girl (boy)" in this series Jeannie is at all times NWA's "A Bitch Is A Bitch." That song sooooo suits her and if you're familiar with it, I'm sure you'll agree. *hehehehe*

*cackles maniacally* The oh-so-picture-perfect couple that is known as Jean & Scott is such fun to twist, manipulate and toy with!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Foolish Little Boy

With only minutes to spare before dinner would be served, Rogue sat on the counter around Logan's bathroom sink and watched him shaving.

Like her, he wore only the towel he'd wrapped around his body after they stepped from their long and very thorough shower. Both of them could say with all certainty that there wasn't a single millimeter of their bodies that hadn't been … scrubbed … by soapy hands.

Jean was forgotten and all was right with the world as Rogue watched a drop of water run down her lover's chest.

Without thinking of the consequences she leaned forward and delicately lapped that droplet up just before it slid over his flat stomach.

He growled and cursed as her actions caused him to jerk and cut himself with the old fashioned razor she'd demanded he use.

"Aww, sorry, shuga," the young woman said with a smile as she kissed the small nick that had already healed itself.

The sight of her nose, lips and chin dotted with the fluffy white shaving cream that covered his jaw made Logan chuckle before dragging her against him for a deep, messy kiss.

"Stop. Stop," she cried out laughingly as he deliberately made sure her face got covered with the foam.

She fell back against the bathroom mirror with a grimace of distaste as her tongue touched some of the shaving cream and she tasted the nasty stuff.

Turning her head just a bit she pouted at his reflection when she saw what a mess he'd made of her just cleaned flesh.

"Jus' look at this mess," she moaned while wiping the white residue from her face.

"This was your idea, darlin'. I've got a nice clean electric razor to do this, but no, my baby thinks watching a man get all lathered up in foam and shave it off with a straight-edged razor is soooo sexy," Logan reminded in an imitation of her voice as it had been when she made her request to watch him shave this way.

Pouting and resisting the urge to laugh at his antics, the young woman playfully smacked his shoulder with a glare.

"Ooh, ya wanna get rough again, do ya darlin'?" he pulled off his towel and used it to wipe his partly shaven face clean before grabbing her hips and pulling them to the edge of the counter. "First ya get all bloodthirsty with Jeannie then ya throw me on tha bed to have your wicked way with me and now ya wanna smack me around? What a violent lil vixen you are, Rogue."

Giving in to her need to laugh said vixen wraps her arms and legs around his body and chuckled while pressing kisses along his jaw.

"Fahst, shuga, Jean had it comin'. Second, ya love mah wicked way with yer oh-so-sexah body. Finally, Ah only wanted ta smack ya tha once for makin' fun of mah accent," she defended as she moved her mouth to lick at his.

"Wasn't makin' fun of anything 'bout ya, baby, just statin' facts," he delayed the moment when they'd kiss to remove the towel she wore. "I happen to love your accent. Makes me hard and wanna throw ya against the nearest flat surface to have _my_ wicked way with your _oh-so-sexah body_ everytime your sweet little lips part to call me 'shuga.'"

"Really?" she stopped her playing with his body to draw back and ask.

"Really."

"Aww, shuga, Ah feel tha same way when ya call me darlin' or baby," she confessed with a tender smile.

Smiling wickedly, he shifted her hips on the counter and suddenly thrust the erection she'd stirred to life again into her equally aroused core.

"Well then, darlin', it's a good thing you're on a flat surface."

__

Indeed it was, she thought as his hands kept her balanced on the edge of the counter and his chest pressed her shoulders and head back against the mirror they were steaming up.

~*~*~

__

She was positively glowing, Betsy thought with a satisfied smile when Rogue strolled into the dining room pressed tightly against her lover's side as they whispered to and smiled at one another.

Neither of them had ever looked happier and it was a fact every person seated at the large table noticed.

A few of the newer team members were surprised by the sight, but not at all disapproving. Seeing the pair so happy together silently thrilled all but one person at the table.

Had Jean had the guts to leave her bedroom and face the others after her shameless actions earlier, Betsy knew there would have been two twits sulking over Logan and Rogue's bliss.

Since Red remained in hiding, her idiot boyfriend was left the only one disapproving of their relationship.

__

Honestly, Elizabeth thought with a warning glare in Scott's direction, _she'd never seen to people so bloody perfect for each other. They were both so superior bossy anal perfectionist idiots who wanted the whole world to revolve around them and got all huffy whenever reality intruded on their little delusions and showed just how insignificant they were._

Even through his concealing ruby shades, Betsy could tell the boy was checking out this new happy Rogue and enjoying the view immensely. Continuing to have her warning glances ignored by the thickheaded lug, she realized she'd have to be more direct again.

__

~~ Stop it! ~~

The boy jumped at her telepathic shout and turned to frown disapprovingly at her.

__

~~ Stop doing that. ~~

~~ I'll stop popping into your tiny little brain and lecturing when you stop being such a bloody arse. Rogue is Logan's girl now. Once again I remind you you've blown your chances there by choosing Jean so just stick your Miss Priss twit. ~~

~~ She obviously isn't **mine** if she's tackling Logan in hallways. ~~

Turning her head to the side so she could roll her eyes in disgust at his pouting without getting him all huffy at her, Betsy wasn't surprised to hear that the story had already gotten round to his hearing.

__

~~ Look, luv, that was just a fluke. Just like your little thing for our Rogue. You're both seeing these two in a new way and are surprised by the sight. ~~

Bloody 'ell, it was nauseating to play at being all understanding of those two, the British girl thought even as she uttered the reassuring thought to Scott.

__

~~ That may be, but I've never made the kind of move on Rogue that Jean did on Logan. She went too far. ~~

~~ Don't give me that, I can read your mind, luv. You'll not get by with trying to play the martyr in this situation with me. The only reason you haven't approached Rogue is first you were bloody terrified or her skin and recently she been totally wrapped up in Logan. I know good and well, though, that you spent this weekend thinking up ways to get her alone and make your move. She's in love with Logan, moving in with him today and will eventually marry the big guy. If you've got any of the bloody smarts you're given credit for you'll keep you bloody gob shut! ~~

~~ You nosy little bitch! What do you know about any of that? Hasn't the Professor lectured you and Jean both about stopping this damn uninvited prying into our minds?! ~~

~~ That he has, but it's bloody difficult for us when we've got twits like you projecting your bloody thoughts to us like some blasted show on the telly. ~~

~~ That is enough from both of you. You're making a spectacle of yourselves and the dinner table is no place for such discussions. ~~

Both Betsy and Scott jerked their heads around to stare at the man at the head of the table. The Professor was looking at them quite sternly and a glance around at the others showed everyone ignoring their food to stare at the tense and angry pair. 

It also made them both realize that at some point then risen to their feet and were now leaning furiously across the table toward each other, as the mental argument had grown more personal and insulting.

Giving Scott a look that said she wasn't done with him yet, Betsy shook off her thoughts about the idiot, sat down, smiled at everyone and returned to eating the remainder of her meal.

The young man ignored the glare and also sat down while returning his attention to Rogue who'd settled into the seat across the table from him. He overlooked the fact that she was practically sitting in Logan's lap as the couple sat side by side and every once in a while playfully fed each other a little bite of their dinner or stole a morsel from the other's plate. It was frankly impossible to believe he was really seeing the Wolverine act like a normal, decent and loving human being, so Scott ignored that bit altogether. Instead he picked at the remains of his dinner and imagined the girl was smiling a megawatt smile at him while using her fingers to wipe a little bit of food from the corner of his mouth and offering the digit for him to lick clean.

Watching her actions with the other man, he told himself that the girl would be even happier with someone like himself.

~*~*~

While Hank and Logan went to Rogue's old bedroom to get the furniture she wanted moved, the young woman fled to Logan's room to straighten it up for company.

Upon entering the bedroom she blushed at the site of the clothes she and Logan had been wearing earlier strewn from the doorway to just before the bed with it's tangled sheets from their lovemaking.

Smiling as she remembered their passionate mating after she'd kicked Red's ass, Rogue quickly gathered the shoes, pants and underwear up and tossed them into the closet before closing it up.

Sure that the men would be there in no time, she rushed to start trying to straighten the voluminous bed linens. It was very awkward to try doing alone and she knew she'd have to settle for just trying to throw the comforter over the rumpled sheets so Hank wouldn't see them and know exactly what had been going on the mess the bed up. 

Not that she thought for a moment that the whole mansion didn't know by now what she and Logan would be doing in his room, but she didn't really want any of them seeing actual evidence of their sexual escapades. 

While she was bent to practically lying on the side of the bed to try arranging the covers in the middle of the huge mattress something suddenly moved to block the light coming into the room from the door she'd left open for Hank and Logan.

Mentally cursing the musclemen for being able to move the furniture so quickly she gave the comforter one last flick to try getting it over the sheets then gave up and straightened to greet the arrivals.

Only to find that it wasn't Hank or Logan when she turned smiling to face the person standing in the doorway.

"Sorry if I startled you, I was just about to knock," Scott said with a kind of shy smile as he removed his shades and blinked his brown eyes at her.

His actions seemed a little off to her and she frowned a bit wondering what he wanted.

"That's ok," she brushed off his apology, "was thare somethin' ya needed Logan for?"

"Actually," he tucked his hands into his pockets and walked into the room to stand next to her, "I was looking for you."

"What for?"

"It's just been so long since we've had time together to talk and I've missed that. Kind of wanted to do it again," he said while sitting uninvited on the bed.

"Really?" she asked skeptically as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an impersonation of Logan's intimidating stare.

Uncovered as they were, it was impossible for Rogue to miss the way his eyes darted to her chest as her actions pressed the top swells of her breasts more firmly against the shirt she wore.

"Scott!" she exclaimed with distaste at the look before dropping her arms and stepping away from him.

"I'm sorry, Rogue, I just can't help it. You've always been so beautiful and unique to me, but I was too wrapped up in Jean to realize what I was really feeling for you. Now … now with your new look I just can't hide it any more."

Eyes widening in horror, she thrust out a hand and continued to stumble backward as he rose from the bed and approached her.

"Stop rahght thare!" she ordered. 

Whipped little puppy he was he obeyed the order instantly like he did any other he was given.

"Ah don't know what yer damage is todah and Ah don't care. Frankly Ah've had enough of this crap from your Jeannie and Ah sure as hell wasn't expectin' or wantin' it from you. Whah can't eithah of you just accept that Logan and Ah are really togethah and that's jus the way we were always meant ta be?"

"Because it's not how you were meant to be, Rogue. You loved me first. Everyone here knows that," he moved forward until his chest was pressed against her out thrust palm then he raised his hands to hold that hand to him. "I love you, too, now, so just forget this Logan foolishness and let's be the couple we should have been all along."

Nearly gagging, she stared at him in utter disbelief and saw in his eyes that he really believed the crap he was spouting.

"Fahst of ahll," she began while tearing her hand from his and then angrily shoving him away from her, "Ah nevah have, do naught and nevah will love you. Sure, Ah was a bit smitten with ya in the beginning, but that all went out tha window when Ah really started payin' attention ta Logan. What Ah have with him is _naught_ foolishness, it's love. Tha absolute real deal and somethin' you and your bitch obviously have no clue about. Unlahke Jean, Ah recognize and need a real man lahke Logan and Ah'll be damned if Ah'll let eithah of you interferin' dumbasses ta get between us."

Her absolute fury stunned the boy, who had expected to have her throwing herself happily in his arms about now, and he stumbled back until he fell upon the bed. The bouncy mattress the girls had enjoyed playing on earlier responded to his hard landing by springing back and sending the unsuspecting fool to the floor.

"Rogue," he began near begging as she moved to tower over him on the floor with hands on hips and fury in her green gaze.

Suddenly they both froze as the very distinct and familiar sound of Logan unleashing his claws was heard.

"What the hell is going on here?!" her man demanded coldly from the doorway.

While Scott's eyes widened in absolute guilty horror, Rogue smiled happily at her lover and forgot all about the waste of manhood lying terrified on the floor.

"Nothin', shuga," she said soothingly while strolling over to wrap her arms around his waist and kiss his cheek.

"This don't look like nuttin to me, darlin'," he growled, no relaxing his stance or moving his eyes from Scott.

"Look, Logan, it's not what it looks like," Scott finally jumped to his feet to try being all rational and commanding.

The daunting figure in the doorway stepped threateningly into the room with a growl, causing the oh-so-strong and manly team leader to shriek like a girl and stumble backward until he slammed into the bedroom wall.

Enjoying the show as much as she was now assuming Logan enjoyed watching her beat Jean around, Rogue leant against the doorframe and indulgently watched her lover play.

Suddenly while her ears picked up movement in the hallway behind her and she ducked her head outside the room to see Hank approaching with the desk from her former bedroom raised above his head. When his blue eyes meet her green ones she waved for him to put the desk down and be quiet before turning her attention back to the man and wannabe-man boy in the room.

She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud as she saw the current situation in the bedroom.

Logan had one clawed fist slammed against the wall beside Cyclops and the three claws of his other hand were resting mere inches from the petrified boy's chest. The kid wasn't even daring to breathe as his eyes remained locked on those deadly claws.

"You tryin' to take my girl?" her lover snarled in his very arousing – to her, at least – Wolverine fashion.

"No. No. Nuh…Nuhnanana, never Logan," Scott stuttered out while frantically shaking his head.

"I've got damn good eyesight, bub, and it tells me you were making a play for Rogue when I walked in here."

Rogue actually thought the guy was gonna faint from fear at the feral way Logan uttered those words, but instead he just continued to shake his head in denial while a spot of wetness darkened and spread over the front of the khaki pants he wore.

Though she couldn't see his face, she knew just by the way his body shifted that her man was now looking at his temporary hostage with pity and contempt at the loss of bladder control.

"I think that's enough of that, Logan. The boy's been sufficiently embarrassed," Hank spoke up from over her left shoulder.

While Scott went limp with relief, the man terrorizing him whipped his head around to glare at the other adult.

Reluctantly conceding that Beast was right, Logan snapped his head back around to issue a warning to the boy.

"If I ever even catch you alone in the same room with my girl again I'll skewer you with these babies," he sliced his claws through the air perilously close to Scott's nose, "and turn your guts to garters for Red."

Turning a curious shade of green at the graphic threat, the boy nodded his understanding and acceptance of the words before throwing both hands over his mouth and fleeing the room.

Laughing with pride and having found the whole scene quite entertaining, Rogue flew across the room and jumped in her lover's arms just as he retracted his claws.

"That was mahvelous, shuga! Even bettah than what Ah did ta Jean," she rained kisses over his face, "Ah'll nevah forget tha look on his face! Nevah! And when he actually peed his pahnts?! Prahceless! Then yer threat at tha very end? Ah bet he got as fahr as the potted plants in tha hallway before hurlin' up his dinnah!"

Her Alpha male, having proven dominance over all others to impress is mate, chuckled for a moment in satisfied triumph before beginning to growl and change Rogue's playful kisses to hungry, nearly savage ones that got her moaning and clawing at his shirt.

Forgotten in the doorway, Hank shook his big blue head with a smile at their surprising little mating rituals as he shut the door and stepped back into the hallway.

With a sudden grimace of revulsion, the man turned and saw that Rogue had lost her bet on how far Scott made it before vomiting. A nauseatingly chunky pile of regurgitated dinner lay just a few feet from him on the Oriental rug that ran the length of the hallway.

Holding his breath, the thoughtful man rolled the carpeting up to take outside and hose down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Shirelles

Foolish Little Girl – can be found on CD Shirelles Greatest Hits

Lyrics courtesy of lyricsdepot.com, comments in parentheses () are my snide lil remarks.

spoken:  
"You broke his heart and made him cry,  
And he's been blue since then. (Luckily Rogue never let the dick break her heart, but he's sure bruised her confidence in the Evo series.)

Now he's found somebody new 

And you want him back again" (Wouldn't that soooo be Scott?!)  
  
Chorus-  
Foolish little girl, fickle little girl (Fickle indeed with his little pickle, forgetting about Jean to chase Rogue)  
You didn't want him when he wanted you (Got THAT right, tha moron)  
He's found another love, it's her he's dreaming of (don't we all dream about Logan sometimes?)  
And there's not a single thing that you can do (Except run for cover 'cause your on mah man's hit list for mackin' on his girl!)  
  
Backup singer aka the foolish lil girl: "But I love him" (too little too late)

The Shirelles: "No you don't it's just your pride that's hurt" (you can say that again, sista!)  
Lil girl: " I still love him" (you don't know the meaning of the words!)  
Shirelles: "If you got him back again, you'd go right out and do him dirt" (Right on rahght on!)  
  
repeat chorus  
  
Girl: "But I love him"  
Shirelles: "It's too late to have a change of heart" (Don't these ladies tell it like it is?!)  
Girl: "I still love him"  
Shirelles: "Tomorrow is his wedding day and you'll keep quiet if you're smart!" (That's such a Betsy line ain't it? I just had to have her use a variation on it in this chappie.)  
  
repeat chorus  
  
All Shirelles: "Forget him cause he don't belong to you" (Whoo Hoo, ya tell that pansy ass, ladies!)  
It's too late he's found somebody new (and Logan be soooo much bettah than Cyke)

There's not a single thing that you can do." (Amen to that. Go back to your lil bitch and leave the happy couple alone. You and Jean are meant to be. No one ELSE on Earth is desperate enough to have either one of you for prolonged periods!)

Now I want all y'all to sing alone with me here for the chorus of another classic by the group Steam: 

Na na na na, na na na na, Hey Hey Hey Goodbye! 

Ah can't hear ya yet, sing it **lowder** now 

"Na na na na, Na na na na, Hey Hey HEY Goodbye!"

Whoo Hoo, that's mah reader's for me! **Get down wit yo bad selves! **

*runs away from the men trying to lure me into the pretty white jacket they have and gets down wit mah bad self while tinkin' bout the next chappie*

No, fans, Mishka ain't off her meds. 

She refused to take them all her life. 

Sanity is sooooooo over-rated.


	28. The Road Gets Bumpy

__

Shout Outs, Etc:

Thank y'all as usual for the great reviews and sticking with the story. Sorry it's taken a few days to get this chappie up, but I had a bit of a problem trying to decide exactly where I wanted to go from the last installment.

Selph, I have this horrible little habit of getting carried away as I write and often not knowing what will happen next myself, which led to the above mentioned block. For the most part, I have a vague idea how I want the last chapters to play out and it's just a matter of leading up to and developing them for uploading. :-)

WisAthena, I'm honored by your compliment and thank you for the review. 

DeMoNic GigGleS, lol and thanks for pointing that out. It explains why my spellcheck always highlighted my use of the word. :-P My 'hick'ness is showing though, as I always overruled suggestions to change the term 'cause I say it like that all the time. I'll watch for it in future and obey mah software. :-) And your story idea, I don't support character death scenes, but if you'd like to write someone making and using a lil voodoo doll of Jean or maybe sneaking in her bedroom and cutting off some or all that long red hair or something torturous, humiliating and painful, but without permanent side effects, Let me know so I can read it! :-P I just cannot forgive the woman for attracting Wolverine in the comic series and choosing Scott, I mean … SCOTT?!?!?! … over mah man Logan. She's insane! Of course had she and Logan ended up together I'd probably hang myself. 

There's more, but my writers block has broken to just overwhelm me with ideas, so I'm typing my fingers off to get them out and hopefully uploaded. :-)

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**__**

The Road Gets Bumpy

Rogue rolled over with a frown when she felt Logan leave the bed to go shower the next morning.

"Shuga?" she moaned sleepily with a loving smile as she watched his tight little backside flex with his steps.

Turning to see that he'd woken her, her love came back to the bed to lean over the edge and kiss her.

Sighing contentedly she slid a hand into his hair and tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled back.

"Prof.'s callin' me, darlin'. I gotta go," he pulled away and stroked back her tangled hair. "It's early yet, so go back to sleep."

With a yawn, she rolled back over into the warm spot his body had left in the bed, wrapped her arms around his pillow and snuggled her head against it like she did his chest before going back to sleep.

Logan stood smiling down at her for a moment then went to take his shower and get dressed for his normal Monday morning meeting with the institute's other adults.

Unable to resist though, once dressed, he returned to her side and bent over the bed to brush her hair back and kiss her cheek.

"Love you, darlin'," he whispered as he straightened.

The little faker's eyes fluttered open to look up at him with a smile on her lips.

"Love you, too, shuga."

Growling playfully, he pulled her to the edge of the bed and started tickling her ribs.

"Stop, stop, UNCLE!" she shrieked between loud giggles and laughs.

"Maybe I outta move your training session up this morning since your up so early," he teased as she recovered from the tickling.

Her green eyes widened at the threat before she forced out a yawn and went back to looking all exhausted and sleepy.

"Nah, Ah need some more rest for that," she said snuggling back against his pillow. "This afternoon with be soon enough."

Knowing how much all the kids loathed his sessions, he chuckled at her antics before giving her another kiss and leaving the room.

~*~*~

Surprisingly, she did end up going back to sleep after he left their room.

A delightfully wicked smile curled her lips as she stretched and thought of the activities of last night that had so worn her out.

They'd both been little more than animals staking their claims on each other after defeating the pair that had tried to get between them. With the way they gotten their message across to Jean and Scott as well as the obvious way they couldn't keep their hands off each other, Rogue was sure no one else at the mansion would ever try messing with her man or hitting on her again.

She laughed aloud again as her eyes landed on the area of the wall where her man had pinned a terrified Scott and made his claim on her clear to the boy.

Her eyes then landed on the bedside clock and widened in horror.

__

10:30 am! 

She'd missed breakfast and everything and worst of all had Logan's training to look forward to in just three short hours.

As much as she loved the man, that was one of his workouts her body just didn't wanna go through.

Reluctantly she got up and went to grab a hot, invigorating shower to start her day.

Only to find the bathroom something of a mess and all the towels damp.

Then and there she made a mental note to cut back on the bathroom love play just a bit as she went back to the room to pull on some clothes and head to the linen closet in the hallway for more clean, dry towels. 

__

Nah, she quickly amended that mental note, _we'll just make sure we keep more of these on hand in the bedroom._

With that in mind, she grabbed a whole big stack of towels and smilingly carried them to their bedroom.

Rogue was so focused on thinking of the things she and Logan had been doing to use up all their other towels that she didn't notice the girl hovering nervously outside Logan's bedroom door until she almost walked into her.

"Jean?" she asked in some surprise when she finally saw the girl and took in how distraught Red looked.

The older girl actually seemed startled by the sound of her own name and jumped back a little.

"Relax, girlie, Ah ain't gonna hurtcha again or anythang," Rogue assured her with a slight frown.

"You'd have every right to," Jean whispered with her eyes downcast and staring at the carpetless hallway.

"Ah thought Ah'd made mah point pretty clearly. Are ya sayin' you think ya need a refreshah already?"

"NO!" the redhead stumbled back so quickly Rogue actually had to reach out and grab her to keep her from crashing into a potted plant.

"Whatcha doin' here, Red?" she finally asked after steadying the girl.

"I … I," Jean began awkwardly but then her voice kind of broke and a little sob escaped her.

Startled, Rogue quickly ushered the girl into her bedroom, tossed the towels she carried onto the bed then sat the telepath down on it.

"What's wrong?"

At the younger girl's question, Jeannie seemed to snap. With a body-shaking sob, she buried her red head in her up drawn hands and began to cry loudly.

For a moment, Rogue simply watched the other girl in a detached kind of horror. Her pale green eyes noted that Jean wore the same clothes as yesterday, her long hair was uncombed and without it's usual healthy shine and the usually well manicured fingernails of the hands she held to her face were bitten and their polish chipped.

Miss Perfect was a wreck and the sight almost scared Rogue, who finally did the only thing she could think of – try to comfort and calm the other girl.

Not having any experience with comforting others, she did something of what Logan did when she cried. Sitting down next to the sobbing girl, she awkwardly gave her a hug and tried saying things like, "It'll be ok" and "There, there now, whatever it is ain't worth tha waterworks, girl."

"It won't be ok," Jean suddenly jumped away to say. "Oh, Rogue, I've never made such a mess of things before in my life! I … I can't even believe that was me yesterday! It's like some horrible nightmare and I just can't wake up."

Speechless, the girl still seated on the bed could only watch as her emotional visitor began pacing while she spoke.

"I thought it couldn't get any worse than you catching me trying to make a play on Logan, but I was soooo wrong. Everyone here hates me now. I could hear their thoughts about me all the way in my room. And Scott … Scott," her voice broke and she again dropped her head into her hands to cry.

Wishing she were anywhere but there right then, Rogue cautiously rose to her feet and placed a consoling hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"He ain't worth cryin' ovah, Jean."

"But he is!" the other girl exclaimed as she threw her arms tightly around Rogue and began sobbing on the stunned girl's shoulder. "I love him, Rogue. I always have and now I've screwed it all up. I just know he'll never forgive me for being so stupid."

Biting her lip at the realization that the other girl had no idea that her boyfriend had made a play for her, Rogue tried to figure out what to say to get the sobbing to stop.

"Ah don't believe that, Jean," she finally began while awkwardly rubbing the other girl's back in a soothing manner, "Scott ain't exactlah a saint himself, but he really does love you as much as ya love him and Ah'm sure he'll undahstand all this."

__

At least he will if he knows what's good for him, Rogue thought fiercely as she began thinking of things to do with the moron if he didn't forgive his girl when he was just as guilty as Jean.

Suddenly, the girl she was trying to console stiffened in her arms and pulled away from her with her sobs turning to inelegant sniffles.

"What do you mean he's just as guilty as I am?" the red head demanded suspiciously.

__

Aw shit, the younger girl thought as she slapped a hand to her forehead. _Damn mind readers!_

"Rogue?!" Jean's anguish was quickly turning to anger.

Even though she knew the telepath was tuned into her thoughts, Rogue was unable to stop the memory of Scott's actions in this very room yesterday evening from replaying in her mind.

"That … that," Red's hands curled into fists as her powers allowed her to see every one of her boyfriend's actions. "And to think … How dare he?! … That … GOD! … That DICK!"

Furiously the girl turned on her heel and stormed from the bedroom, opening the door and slamming it behind her with her telekinesis.

Hand still pressed to her forehead, Rogue sank to the bed and tried to figure out what the heck had just happened.

~*~*~

Charles tiredly rubbed his forehead as Hank finished relaying the events he'd witnessed yesterday evening and the argument he'd had with Scott in the lab this morning.

The two men were now alone in the Professor's office as Logan and Ororo had left a while ago to do their daily chores.

The Professor had spent a long night shielding emotionally projected thoughts from many of the students and this morning had only taken more of his concentration to avoid being overwhelmed by everyone thinking of and having some opinion about the now infamous Rogue/Jean fight and Logan/Scott threat.

Now Hank was telling him that they had a very big time bomb ticking away in the form of the ruse they'd all chosen to put on for Rogue regarding her mutation.

"Perhaps I should talk to him?" Charles thought aloud.

"I don't think it will help, Charles. As much as Scott admires and listens to you, his ego has taken such a beating from Logan that I doubt anything you could say would sway him. Especially as he feels Rogue to be completely responsible for the whole situation," the big blue man sighed. "He adamantly refuses to take the serum any more or have anything to do with either of them."

Sighing himself, Charles wheeled his chair over to the window and gazed out across the sunlit lawns.

"I do believe we're going to have to come clean to our Rogue about the serum and her mutation. It will be difficult, but the results will be far better than her learning the truth in any other way," the Professor said.

"Like during the training session Logan has planned for all the senior team members to start right about," Hank checked his watch, "five minutes ago?" 

"All of them?" Charles asked.

"Yes. Betsy, Brian, Jean, Kitty, Kurt, Rogue, Scott and Tabitha."

"Good Lord," the Professor exclaimed in dawning horror. "It will be a nightmare."

~*~*~

They all knew Logan liked to challenge and surprise them, but the team was stunned to see who all he locked into the Danger Room for this session.

Jean immediately lunged for Scott, only to be restrained by a startled Brian who stood between the couple.

"Save it for the simulation, Red," Logan growled over the intercom as he took his place up in the observation room above them.

Even through his visor it was obvious Cyclops was glaring at his girlfriend and everyone else in the room with them.

Betsy picked up on some of the thoughts going through the couples head and her wide blue eyes locked with Rogue's guilty ones.

Her friend shrugged and gave a weak "Oops" smile while telling the British telepath, _~~ It's a long story. ~~_

Kitty and Tabitha quickly moved to Rogue's side in a show of solidarity against Jean.

Kurt was looking around at them all and nervously noting all the tension and hostility in the room.

__

Mein Gott, zhis has got OUCH vritten all over it, he thought as the Danger Room came to life with the simulation Logan had planned for them.

~*~*~

__

It was a very good thing he'd selected a survival situation rather than one of the 'work as a team' exercises, Logan thought as he watched the team fighting drones, obstacles and each other in the room below.

The elf was frantically trying to keep everyone out of harms way. 

Jean was telekinetically throwing her boyfriend around the room while a stunned Brian tried to calm the girl and preventing either of them from getting injured by the action around them.

__

Big mistake getting between a lover's spat, Britain, Logan thought with a chuckle as the red head grew tired of the interference and shifted her concentration to send Scott's flailing body crashing into Brian's.

While the two men collided and went rolling back into a drone that quickly turned to attack them both, Betsy and Tabitha both went after the older girl for daring attack Brian.

It didn't sink in that an optic blast from Scott is the thing that disabled the drone before it could tag either of the guys who were beginning to scramble to their feet.

In the meantime, BoomBoom created a handful of little charges and sprinkled them around Jean's feet, but the targeted girl dove away and flicked out her hands to send the charges scattering back toward the pyrokinetic who shrieked and ran away from them.

With the blonde distracting Red, Betsy leapt at the other girl with double snap kick that knocked Jean down and left her breathless on the floor.

Sensing big trouble when the purple-haired girl unleashed her psychic blade, Logan quickly ordered two drones in the room below to make a move on Betsy to draw her attention from the fallen Jean.

__

~~ I'll remember that, luv. ~~

Even as the British telepath turned to battle the drones, she managed to send Logan that mental warning.

He couldn't help chuckling at that.

Finally he turned his attention to Rogue who was standing back to back with Kitty as they awaited the drones circling them to make a move so they could make theirs.

Proud as can be, he watched his girl see her opening and take it.

As the drone she faced reared back to attack her, Rogue dove and rolled under the mechanical beast then shot her first up through the control paneling on it's underbelly to power the drone down.

And relieve it of a few necessary wires.

Kitty handled her target in much the same way, only she laughingly phased through it and shorted the drone out.

High-fiving each other, the two girls quickly jumped to the side as the ground beneath them began cracking open in a simulated earthquake.

Their celebrating quickly stopped as their bodies collided with a drone that had been awaiting their movement away from the opening ground.

Logan grimaced as he watched their bodies slam into the unforgiving hunk of metal. 

Seeing that his girl could get hurt, for the first time ever his hand hovered over the cancellation button to end the simulation, but Kurt quickly teleported the girls from harm's way as Cyclops blasted the machine.

That time, the man observing the session couldn't miss the fact the Cyke was using his powers.

__

But how, Logan wondered as he remembered that Scott had taken Hank's serum, too, and just yesterday his mutation had been gone. Logan vividly remembered seeing the boy minus his shades and deadly eyes looking all up at his Rogue.

Something wasn't right here and unfortunately the Wolverine saw he wasn't the only one catching on to that.


	29. Revelation

WARNING: This and the following chapter are serious, emotional and dramatic breaks in the humor of the story to 'keep it all real,' as I like to say. Rogue notoriously has major issues with betrayal of any kind so I could imagine no humorous or fluffy way for her to learn of the fact that she wasn't cured. Again, I'm afraid Scott is put in a very poor light, but have no fear he will eventually redeem himself to all.

The revelation scene is short, as I didn't want to combine it with the comfort attempts by the team, which is the chapter that will follow as soon as it's written. Hopefully I'll have it for uploading tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Revelation

Pulling away from Kurt, Rogue's wide eyes watched Scott disable the drone she and Kitty had slammed into before dispatching another that was coming up behind him.

__

But, she thought dazedly, _he's cured._

Suddenly all the machines in the room died down as the simulation ground to a halt.

"Summers, up here now," Logan growled over the intercom. "Everyone else scram."

Knowing exactly what her man was up to, Rogue didn't hesitate to rush ahead of Cyclops up into the control room.

Once inside the room, she moved to slide an arm around Logan's waist as they awaited a more slowly approaching Scott.

"Ya saw it too?" she asked her lover while they waited.

"Sure did," he replied with a growl. "Something don't smell right here."

"Ah know just whatcha mean, shuga," she was saying as Scott exited the elevator and stepped into the room, "Ah smell a rat."

Startled by the way the girl was looking straight at him as she said that Cyclops stiffened.

"Hey, look, I wasn't making a move on your girl again of anything, I was just helping Kitty and Rogue get away from that drone," the young man explained, totally not getting why he was there.

"I know that, Cyke. Neither of us could help but notice how ya took that drone out though and _that's_ what you'll be explaining to us now," Logan growled.

"It was a survival exercise, Logan, I used my powers. Nothing to alert the media about," the boy replied.

"Tha point ya still ain't getting', ya moron, is that ya ain't got anah powahs ta be usin," Rogue stepped forward to poke him in the chest.

"Wha - " he began before remembering the ruse he'd refused to have any part of just that morning. 

Glad neither of the two people glaring at him for an explanation could read minds, Scott began searching his brain for what to tell them and how to tell it.

"I … I took the antidote!" he finally shouted as his mind latched on to Kurt's excuse.

The girl in front of him studied his features and body language and frowned.

"No you didn't," she said with quiet certainty. "Whah would ya lie about that?"

"I … I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are, bub. I can smell it all over you. Fess up, goggle-boy," Logan growled as he moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Rogue.

As he'd proven yesterday, the boy was not good in such confrontation and he backed away from the pair until he was pinned by them against a control board.

"It wasn't my idea," the trapped Cyclops began, "I swear, I didn't even really agree to do it. Betsy made me."

"Made ya what?" Rogue leaned forward to demand, causing him to bend back over the controls he was pressed against.

"Trick you into believing the serum was permanent. She had this whole theory that if you believed you were really cured then you'd stop thinking of your skin as a bad thing and be able to touch just like that. The stuff Hank gave you only lasted twelve hours. The girls all made sure you got touched and all during that time so you'd believe you were all better and they made me take more doses to keep making you think I was cured to," he confessed in a rush. "I told Hank no more this morning so the drug has worn off and I'm back to full power."

"What?" Logan and Rogue both demanded.

"Yer lahin', Scott, Ah can still touch. Ah'm cured," Rogue removed her gloves and placed a bare hand on the boy's face.

He shrank back trying to avoid the draining touch, but was surprised not to feel any reaction to the touch.

"It's the truth, Rogue. You can touch only for as long as you believe your skin is safe. If you start to doubt that or think it's poisoned again, that's it. The switch is flipped and you absorb again."

"No," the girl whispered in disbelief even as a small voice began arguing that Scott had no reason to make this up.

At those sprouting doubts, the fingers still lying against Cyclops' cheek began to tingle with just a hint of her skin's powers.

Charles wheeled into the room at that moment and took in the scene before him with a defeated sigh.

"I tried to get here before this," he said regretfully.

Hearing those words Logan and Rogue both snaps their heads around to look at the man who'd spoken them.

With growing horror, the girl saw the truth on his face and fully believed Scott's words.

"Oh GAWD," she cried out as her skin reacted strongly to the thoughts now swirling in her brain.

For a long moment the pull of her mutation on Cyclops' skin was too strong for her to break the hold and she began sobbing incoherently and tearing frantically at her hand to get it off his face.

Logan helped her as soon as he saw she was unable to break free herself by grabbing her shoulders and hauling her back against his chest, leaving Scott to crumple unconscious to the floor.

Rogue's eyes had closed as she struggled to break that connection, but when it was broken she opened them to look worriedly around her.

A reddish white beam of power shot from her green gaze and wrecked any part of the control room she looked upon until with a sob she clenched her eyelids shut and tore away from Logan to face the direction the Professor had been in when she saw him.

"How could ya do this ta me?!" she demanded before opening her eyes. "Ah thought Ah was ovah all this! Ah thought Ah could be normal now!"

Fortunately, Charles had anticipated the action and moved to a location safe from the girl's borrowed powers.

"Rogue," both Logan and the Professor exclaimed.

Clenching her eyes shut again and balling her hands into fists, she allowed herself to be turned by the gentle hand of her lover on her shoulder.

"Were you in on it too?" she asked him coldly.

"No, darlin', I'd never do that to you," Logan stated with a gentle stroke to her cheek.

"Don't touch me!" Rogue screamed fearfully as she felt his bare fingers skim her flesh.

Not even stopping to think, she opened her eyes to look tearfully at her love only to blast him back against the windows of the observation room with Scott's mutation.

Still forgetting that she knew how to turn the dangerous blasts off, she screamed in agony at the sight of him pinned their by her accidental action and again clenched eyelids closed. 

With a hand over those eyes for added protection she sobbed and stumbled her way into the elevator.

"Rogue, stop. It's not like Scott said," the Professor began desperately as he watched her actions. "There was no malice involved. All we wanted to do is help you."

She leant against the doors of the lift, holding them open for a moment to hear him out.

"No more lies!" 

"I am not lying to you, Rogue. We have found a way for you to live the normal life you want. I apologize for having to deceive you in order to prove our theory, but it has been proven by the fact that until just now you've been able to touch freely," he wheeled toward the elevator. "I know I cannot ask you to trust me right now, but please, hear me out. I can help you."

With a deep breath, she reigned in her absorbed power and slowly opened her eyes to meet the Professor's.

"Thare's no helpin' me. Ah'm poison." 

Her words were final and he knew she believed them as her tear-filled eyes shifted from him to look at Scott passed out cold on the floor then her lover who laid sprawled out from the blow she'd dealt him. Her shoulders shaking with the sobs beginning to wrack her frame, the girl then stepped slowly back into the lift and left the doors shut between her and the Professor.

__

~~ Everyone, be on the lookout. Rogue's found out about our ruse and it isn't going well. Betsy, Kitty, Kurt, Tabitha, find and try to calm her down. ~~~

Having given that telepathic order to the team, Charles turned to glance over the still knocked out Scott and then watch Logan peel himself off the Plexiglas Rogue's blast had thrown him against.

"How could you do it, Charles?" the man asked as he stretched his sore muscles and prepared to follow after his mate. "How could you lie to us both like that?"

"Trust me, Logan, it was for the best. My only regret is that I was too late to stop Scott from revealing his version of the truth like that."

Logan simply growled at the Professor for that and stalked past him into the elevator.

"Logan! Find her, calm her and bring her to me," the bald man ordered before the lift doors started to close. "_I **can** help her!_"

The elevator doors closed and the car shot to the upper levels of the institute without Logan verbally replying to the words.

Telepathically, though, the other man communicated with Charles to let him know he had been heard.

__

~~ I'll only give you one shot, bub. Blow and we're both gone. ~~

~~ Trust me, Logan. I will not fail her again. ~~

~~ Then we'll get her to you. Just keep that promise. ~~


	30. Comfort

****

WARNING: _This chapter contains depictions of a rather passionately rough sexual encounter between Logan and Rogue. IT IS NOT FOR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 17 TO READ. Though the scene is an adaptation of the one that took place between Buffy and Spike on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series (episode titled "Smashed" you've totally GOTTA see it) which aired on **regular TV** I warn readers that it may be explicit in your opinions. The scene is vital I think to the story line because both Logan & Rogue are extremely strong characters who in such an emotional situation would find themselves (as a saying y'all may know) needing to fight or f… As they do love each other the first is not an option for them._

Please note that when I say 'rough' I am not in any way hinting at rape or nonconsent. They are lovers carried away by intense turmoil and it comes through in a rather heated coupling. _Read with caution_, prepare to feel a bit of heat at the end, and most of all Enjoy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Comfort

She was running down the hallway from the elevator toward her room when Kurt ported suddenly in front of her.

"Hey, zis, I've been looking everyvhere for you," he said.

"Outta mah way, elf," she ordered while trying to brush past him.

"Look, Vrogue, I know you're upset vright now, but none of us meant to hurt you. Ve vant to help. Zhe Profezzer, he can help you," the boy tried to reason, "let him."

"Help me bah lyin' ta me some more?! Ah don't need that kinda help!"

He slammed back against the wall as she violently thrust him from blocking her path and sighed regretfully at all the anger inside the girl.

"I vas not succezzful," he spoke into his com. device to the girls awaiting a report. "She's heading straight for you and doezn't appreciate anyzhing being in her vay."

Rubbing his now aching back Kurt ended the communication and went to his room hoping the others had more luck.

~*~*~

The raging anger, hurt, pain, and shock Betsy's telepathy picked up long before Rogue neared the trio awaiting her outside Logan's bedroom was enough to make the girl put a hand to her head and cry out as the intense emotions stabbed into her brain like little knives.

Her friend was making no effort to shield her thoughts, in fact she appeared to be projecting, and Betsy had been unprepared for the onslaught of those thoughts.

Kitty and Tabitha each grabbed one of the British girl's arms when it looked like the telepath would collapse under the strain.

"No, no," Betsy assured them as she straightened, "I've got it under control now, luvs. It just surprised me at first."

"That was more than surprise, Betts. What happened?" Tabitha said.

"It's worse than I thought it would be, luvs. I've never sensed her so … emotional."

The trio exchanged concerned glances just moments before their friend came stalking around the corner and down the hallway towards them.

"You," she ground to a halt upon seeing Betsy. "This was ahll yer idea?!"

Her body shook with barely suppressed fury causing wide-eyed Kitty and Tabitha to step protectively between their two friends.

"Rogue, whatever you're thinking right now you've got it, like, totally wrong. You know Betsy, you know _us_," Kitty tried calming the girl. "You're our friend and we love you. All we've ever wanted to do is help. You know that. Somewhere inside all the hurt and anger you're feeling right now, you know that."

Some of the anger visibly drained from her body as Kitty bravely approached the girl to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Whah'd ya have ta lie ta me, Betts? Ah can forgive anything but that," her watery, pained green eyes locked with the blue gaze of her dearest friend.

"It was the only way, luv. You have to believe that we all tried to think of any other way to do this, but there was no other way," the girl moved from behind Tabitha to stand before Rogue. "You've had too much pain and disappointment in your life to have trusted our theories enough to prove or disprove them. Our only chance, our only hope, was to take the risk of doing what you most despise and deceiving you."

"And it worked, Rogue," Tabitha moved in to add. "Your dose of Hank's potion would have worn off Wednesday night, well before your date with Logan or anything else, yet you were able to touch him throughout the weekend and up to today before dumbass Scott opened his mouth. That's proof that Betsy was right. Please, don't be angry with us for doing the only thing we could."

"Ah," Rogue dropped her head in her hands and moved away from them. "Ah cahn't talk ta ya'll rahght now. Ah've …. Ah've just gotta think."

Betsy held the other two back when they would have followed Rogue into her bedroom and the girls turned to look at her questioningly.

"She heard us, luvs," the telepath informed them. "She believes us, too, but that bloody past of hers won't let her just forgive us like that. We've done all we can for now. She must do the rest herself and we just have to wait."

All three of them looked worriedly at the solidly closed bedroom door barring them from their friend.

__

~~ You telling her the truth, Brit? ~~

With a startled gasp, Betsy turned to see Logan standing just a few feet from them with a grim expression on his face. She had been so focused on Rogue she hadn't even sensed a hint of his presence and the telepath had to wonder how long he'd been there.

__

~~ What you girls told her, is it the truth, Elizabeth? ~~

~~ Every word of it, luv. It's a bit of a long story, but the gist of it is we had to make her believe her skin was safe to touch so that it would be just that. The only way she'd ever truly believe that was to be tricked. Now that she knows she still has the mutation the Professor can help her learn to turn it on and off as she needs to. ~~

The purple-haired girl moved toward the man she was telepathically communicating with and she placed a slightly pleading hand on his tense shoulder.

__

~~ I know you feel betrayed by us, too, but, please, for Rogue you have to trust us once more. We would have spared her the pain of learning the truth in this way if we could have, but we were too late. Help us redeem ourselves to you both, Logan. Calm her and bring her to the Professor. We won't let either of you down again. I swear it. ~~

He gave a rough nod of his head and pushed past her then parted the pair of girls standing outside the door to step into his bedroom to face his emotionally wounded mate.

Quietly ushering the other girls away from the room, Betsy made a quick wish that the man succeeded for all of their sakes.

~*~*~

Though it stopped his heart's beating for a moment, the sight of Rogue hastily gathering her things to move from their room didn't surprise Logan.

It took her that moment to realize he was watching her and stop her frantic motions to stand staring at him with hers hands twisting in the load of clothes she carried from the closet.

"Whaddya think you're doing, darlin'?" he asked gruffly as he approached her and untangled the garments from her grip.

"Ah," her voice broke and she turned her face away from him. "Ah have ta get outta here."

"You ain't going anywhere without me," he growled.

She dropped the clothes she held, looked straight into his eyes and stepped away from him.

"Ah have to. Ah …. Ah," twin tears ran down her cheeks from each anguish-filled eye. "Ah cahn't bear ta hurtcha again."

"Rogue, what happened downstairs was an accident. I know you'd never do that deliberately," he stepped forward intending to take her into his arms.

"No," she smacked those arms away. "Ya can't touch me. Ah didn't evah wanna hurtcha, but Ah did and Ah will again if Ah don't leave. Ah cahn't stop it! Ah'm poison."

"Don't ever say that to me again!" he snarled furiously as his hands clamped down on her shoulders and shook her a bit. "If you're poison than so am I because whatever we are it's the same. That's why found each other and came together. No matter what either of us are, we're only complete together and I will not let you leave over this."

"How can Ah stay? How can we go on, Logan? You cahn't touch me now and Ah cahn't touch you," she lifts her bare hand to hover over the flesh of his beloved face. "Ah'd tahke tha lahfe from you if Ah evah touch you again."

"Then take it, Rogue," he moved his cheek until it was pressed firmly against her fingertips. "Everything I have is yours. Without you my life is worthless again, so if you'd rather leave me take it with you."

His words had big, fat tears pouring down her cheeks as she moved the hand he'd pressed to his face into his silky black hair and threw herself against his chest sobbing.

They clung together for the long moments it took the flood of tears to pass, her face pressed safely against his cloth covered body, one hand tucked safely in his hair without touching skin while the other was wrapped around his waist and his hands stroking her uniform clad back.

Finally the sobs slowed and her cheek rubbed slowly against his chest as she whispered in a voice hoarse from her tears, "Ah cahn't bear tha thought of nevah touchin' you again lahke Ah have."

"Darlin'," he lifted a bare hand to tilt her head back to look into his eyes before placing the hand on her shoulder, "your skin is not an issue. There are so many ways that we can touch and make love and be together we've no where near scratched the surface these past few days."

"But we cahn't …," she looked away with a sniffle and blush, "we cahn't do _it_ anymore."

"Is that what's really bothering you?" at her nod he smiled and again locked his eyes with hers. "Don't move."

Drained from the rollercoaster she'd been on since the training session, Rogue moved back to lean against the bedroom wall and watched him move around the room. He went to their dresser and rummaged around in the drawers until he found a pair of the leather gloves he wore when riding his bike, an old pair of her gloves, and one of her scarves. Next he went into the bathroom and she could hear him going through things in there until he found what he was looking for and returned to stand before her.

As her expression grew puzzled he draped the scarf he'd collected over her shoulder, handed her her gloves with the growled order to put them on then pulled on the pair he had for himself.

"Wha - "

"Trust me," he laid a gloved finger pressed over her lips.

It hadn't been a question, but still her expression grew tender as she stroked her now safely gloved hand over his cheek and whispered, "Ahlways."

Smiling, he kissed her covered palm, urged her more firmly against the wall, nudged her legs apart with one of his then slid his hand between them.

Even through the barrier of her uniform and panties beneath it and the glove he wore, she felt the hot, firm caress of his fingers almost as well as when it was their bare skin touching. Forgetting one painful fact, she dropped her head forward with a moan at his arousing strokes with that hand until her bare forehead pressed against the flesh of his neck.

The pull was slow to start as her mind was so occupied with the feelings he was stirring in it, but some nasty little voice inside her had to speak up about the barriers between her body and his and why they were now necessary. Just that stray thought was enough to have her jerking away from him as the skin of her forehead tingled then began to pulse as it absorbed a hint of his lifeforce from Logan.

"We cahn't. Ah told ya Ah'd onlah hurtcha!"

With every ounce of strength she could muster, Rogue thrust her hands against his shoulders to push and hold his all too tempting body away from hers.

"Rogue, you said you trust me so just do that," he growled as his hand rose to remove hers from his body so he could press against her.

"Ah trust ya with mah lahfe, Logan, but Ah cahn't trust mahself. Ah - "

His lips came crashing down on hers before she could say anymore and for a moment their lips seemed to devoured each other until the pull of her mutation began to choke them both.

Their lips parted so they could recover from the passionately reckless caress, but he didn't stop touching her. In fact, his hand returned to her clothed core along with one of his strongly muscled thighs.

"Please, shuga, we cahn't. Ah'll dah if Ah hurtcha again!"

"Look at me," he roughly jerked her once again tear streaked face up to look into his own. "You've touched me and I'm still standing, Rogue. Whatever your skin may do to me, I'll survive it. Nothing … _Nothing_ … it could do to me would hurt more than you leaving, so stop thinking the damned worst-case scenarios and _trust me! _ I won't hurt you and I won't let myself get hurt either."

He'd never spoken to her with such almost anger before and her eyes widened in surprise that he chose to do so now.

Taking advantage of her momentary shock, he held her hips steady and pinned in place with his legs, pelvis and left hand while unleashing a fraction of claw on his right hand to slice through the material covering her femininity.

Her body froze with a startled gasp at the feel of his razor sharp blade skimming through her clothing, so near to her flesh she dared not even blink her eyelids for fear that small movement could cause him to slip in his careful motions.

Then she gasped again in disbelieving arousal as his claw withdrew and left her sensitive skin exposed to the slight chill in their room from the central cooling unit just inches from where their bodies were pressed against the wall.

"Logan," she whispered unsurely at these actions.

Raising his left hand to pick up the sheer lavender scarf he'd laid on her shoulder moments ago, her lover then lightly wrapped it around her head so that it covered her lower face and knotted it in place behind her head.

That hand then pulled her face against his for a hungry kiss to which her skin did not react thanks to the gossamer barrier provided by the scarf.

Delighted by his creativity, she smiled her first smile in hours now and eagerly began returning the kiss, her lips parting to allow him access to her mouth. At first the feel of the sheer material between their intertwining tongues was weird, but it quickly became moistened by their actions and seemed to just melt away.

While she was moaning excitedly at the realization that, at least like this, they could still kiss, Logan's gloved right hand began stroking the flesh exposed to him by the slit his claw had made in her uniform and panties.

Suddenly a daring finger delved into her growing wetness, causing her body to arch into his caressing hand and away from his lips as she gave a shuddering gasp of arousal.

There was something different about this time, she could feel it. It was a quiet near desperation in Logan's actions as it appeared he intended to arouse and satisfy her as never before to prove that her fears they could never make love again were groundless.

Part of her hated having scared him like this when she knew she never would have had the strength to actually ever leave him, but the majority of her mind, body and emotions were celebrating and relishing in the fact that he was this determined to make her stay.

As she kept her head thrown back to pant for breath and moan his name with the pleasure she felt coursing through her body, he brought his leather clad thumb into play between her legs to grind against her clitoris. At the same time he adjusted the scarf so that it covered her neck for him to bite and suckle at the smooth pale column of her throat.

The increasing stimulation to her body intensified the sounds pouring from Rogue's lips as her body writhed against his in a desperate attempt to get even more of him to push her to climax.

When she felt that she was just one hard nibble of his teeth and strong thrust of his fingers away from splintering out of control, he stopped.

"Llll….lllll….Lo….," she was breathing too hard to sound out his name as she attempted to voice her protests at his sudden halt.

Gulping in air, she opened her passion fogged eyes and dropped her head forward as his hand left her body and she saw it dig into the front pocket of his jeans to pull out a condom. His brown eyes were nearly black with love and lust and need as he raised the rubber to his lips and used his teeth to tear open the wrapper.

He shifted his hips back just an inch or so to tear open the fastening of his jeans and quickly roll the latex sheath over erection before grabbing her hips and sliding her up along the wall until her feet dangled off the floor and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.

Growls escaped both their throats as Logan guided the tip of his shaft against her then immediately plunged full tilt into her waiting femininity.

Rogue screamed at the deep impact and grabbed onto his shoulders with her hands as her legs clenched even tighter around him.

Pausing to make sure it hadn't been pain that caused that scream, her wild lover growled again with a smile and began thrusting into her strongly when he saw her beautiful features twisted into an expression of absolute ecstasy.

Holding her hips tilted against him at just the right angle for his penetration with one hand, he unleashed the claws of the other and drove them deep into the wall above her shoulder to keep her from moving any further up the wall from the force of his thrusts.

Rather than being startled by the violence of his actions, his every move only served to drive his mate even crazier against him.

Her head and hips were banging against the wall, breaking through the plaster and drywall, as her body began tensing with the orgasm fast approaching.

His name escaped her lips in a long drawn out scream of rapture as his lips fastened on the jugular vein in her throat to give her that last overwhelming sensation to push her to climax.

As he followed his beloved over that edge, his hand clamped down on her hip with bruising force and sharp incisors broke the skin of her neck before he threw his head back to roar out his possession.

~*~*~

Eventually their bodies stopped quaking from their intense orgasms and their breathing returned to relatively normal.

At that point Logan withdrew his claws from the wall, scattering debris down over an unconcerned Rogue, then reluctantly withdrew himself from the glove of her body.

Tenderly he wrapped his arms around her still dazed body and pulled it away from the wall, which was cracked and crumbling where their bodies had slammed into it. Grinning with primal male satisfaction at the proof of their powerful joining, he carried her to the bed and gently laid her upon it.

"Nothing will ever stop of from having that, darlin'," he vowed with a loving kiss on her lips before her worn mind and body succumbed to sleep.


	31. Redeemed

Author's Notes: I AM sooooooo very very sorry I've not updated in a few days. I had a bit of writers block added to some computer problems and other distractions that kept me from getting any writing done lately. Not to fear though, I think I'm getting back on track! :-)

Here's the next chapter and I'm happy to say that this series is drawing toward its conclusion. Huge thank you to all readers and reviewers who've staid with it and I hope you continue to enjoy. Again, my apologies in the delay for this chapter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**__**

Redeemed

"Come on now, wake up."

Frowning in the midst of her much needed post coital nap, Rogue shook her head "no" on the pillows and tried to ignore the wicked man who'd so worn her out.

"You're gonna miss dinner if you don't wake up, darlin'."

__

Who cared about food, she thought as she buried her head under the pillows to block him out.

Smiling, Logan straightened from whispering in her ear to try waking her and went with a method he'd accidentally learned to be effective during their stay at the lake.

Sleep began fading from her mind as Rogue felt her right foot being pulled to the edge of the bed. She was just removing the pillow from her head to tell him not to even think about it, when her lover began tickling the sole of that foot without mercy.

"LooooooooGAN!" she screamed with uncontrollable laughter. "Stop, stop! Ah'm awake, Ah'm awake."

"Are ya now?" he teased as the tickling continued while she writhed on the bed with giggles.

"Yes, Ah am, stop it!" she squealed.

Chuckling himself, he gave one last little tickle then bent to lift her into a sitting position.

Gasping for breath and wiping tears from her eyes, she sat on the edge of the bed and placed her hands on his neck to pull him toward her.

Thinking only of how much she loved this man, Rogue met his lips with hers for what started as a gentle teasing kiss and grew into a deep embrace that had them stretched out on the bed grinding against each other. 

Reluctantly their hungry mouths parted for breath. She arched her head back to gulp air into her nearly empty lungs only to freeze as his mouth went straight to the curve of her neck. 

"No fair," she moaned as he took advantage of her weakness for throat nibbling.

His lips curled into a smile against her skin before he pulled away to smirk down at her.

"Maybe from now on you'll just wake up when I tell ya to."

"Maybe ya shouldn't wear me out so much Ah need ta sleep so much," she countered with a pouting smile.

"Ya complainin'?" he openly leered at her, making her skin all tingly.

The mere thought of her tingling skin got her thinking of her skin period and remembering that it was untouchable again.

__

But … he'd just touched it.

"Ya touched me," she whispered with awed eyes.

"That I did, darlin'," he smilingly pulled her body under his. "Need me to do it again?"

Though she was tempted to say yes and forget about the little realization developing in her head, Rogue instead sighed and pushed him away so they could have a serious discussion.

"Ah mean, ya touched mah bare skin and nothin' happened, shuga."

"The Prof. said ya could control it, Rogue, looks like he was right."

"But … how?"

"I think only he knows the answer to that, darlin'," Logan said with his hand moving to stroke her hair. "I know you're still hurt by their lyin' to ya, Rogue, but whaddya say we give him a chance to prove himself?"

Hopeful but unsure, she snuggled against his chest and asked, "Do ya really think he can help?"

"Yes, I do, darlin'," he hugged her briefly then rose from the bed and pulled her up as well. "Now how 'bout we get you all cleaned up, eat some dinner and then go see what Charles can do for ya?"

Happy with that plan, Rogue took a step to go into the bathroom and change before stopping dead in her tracks as she felt a bit of a draft. Blushing a fiery red, she placed her hand on her lower abdomen above the crotch of the uniform he'd sliced open earlier.

"Ah am nevah gonna be able ta wear this again," she groaned. "How do Ah explain to the Prof. Ah need a new uniform?"

He looked at her with a playful leer and winked.

"I think it still has its uses, darlin'," she blushed at his meaning. "and we'll just tell Chuck tha truth, it got torn."

~*~*~

Dinner was awkward. 

Everyone knew what Scott had done and why he was in the infirmary still unconscious rather than seated at the dinner table with everyone else. No one blamed Rogue for what happened, Scott would be ok eventually and it was an accident, but still none of them knew of anything to say to their friend and teammate as she sat quietly next to her lover.

The whole room was quiet during the meal with the exception of the sounds of eating and the odd whisper for someone to pass something.

It made Rogue feel isolated and alone except for the moments Logan sensed her discomfort and gently squeezed her hand or thigh under the table or gave her one of his heartwarming smiles.

Near the end of the silent feast Logan nudged her in the side, gave her a meaningful look and jerked his head toward the Professor who sat at the head of the table.

She frowned at him slightly and shook her head "no," which had him arching his brow sternly and again indicating the Prof. until she rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Professor," she said, turning to face Charles, "if ya've got tahme aftah dinnah Logan and Ah would lahke to see ya in yer office."

Charles' eyebrows shot up in surprise and he looked at her as if trying to gauge the reason for her request. Then he smiled almost gratefully and sank back in his wheelchair with a slight sigh of relief.

"I'll have all the time you need," the bald man assured the couple, "we can begin as soon as you're both ready."

While Rogue smiled weakly back at the man and Logan again squeezed her hand, Betsy, Brian, Jean, Kurt, Kitty and Tabitha all exchanged slightly worried glances at what this cryptic meeting would be about.

Neither Betsy or Jean wished to probe the other girl's thoughts, but they sensed great nervousness and uncertainty from Rogue.

__

~~ You don't think she'd actually leave do you? ~~

Betsy's blue eyes held that same fear as they met Jean's across the table.

__

~~ I certainly hope not, luv. ~~

__

I certainly hope not, the British girl repeated quietly to herself as they all watched Logan and Rogue push away their empty plates, stand and lead the Professor from the dining room.

~*~*~

Charles preceded the couple into his office and moved his chair toward the less formal sitting area of the room indicating they should sit on the sofa.

Logan sat first on the couch and smilingly pulled Rogue down onto his lap.

The young woman blushed at the display of affection in front of the Professor and tried to squirm off her partner's lap, but the man growled playfully and refused to let her go.

Thrilled to see that somehow his friend had calmed the girl after her earlier ordeal, Charles smiled indulgently at the couple then turned his attention to the books lining the walls of his office as the pair started kissing.

He gave them a moment to enjoy each other before pointedly clearing his throat to remind them of his presence and their location.

"I didn't forget ya, Chuck," Logan said as he stop teasing his girl to get serious, "we're decent."

Turning his attention back to the sofa, Xavier was glad to see Rogue now sitting beside her lover on the couch while their gloved hands laid entwined on the cushions between them.

For a moment his brown gaze lingered on those joined hands as he reflected upon how very different it was to see either of these two people truly happy or casually touching someone else. To see them both breaking their solitary habits of the past together was heartwarming to the man who had played a small part in bringing them in to each other's lives.

As that 'small part' came to mind, the Professor shook off all but serious thoughts about how to help Rogue recover from the shock of learning she had been mislead by most all her friends and also teach her to control her mutation if she would allow it.

"I thank you both for requesting this meeting," he began while folding his hands casually in his lap. "I was afraid it would be days before I got the opportunity to fully express how deeply sorry I am that you had to learn the truth about Hank's serum in the way you did, Rogue."

Under his sincere gaze, the girl smiled weakly and shrugged a sheer green shirt covered shoulder.

"Ah kinda already know that and it wasn't yer fault, but that ain't whah we're here," she bit the inside of her lower lip and raised her hopeful green eyes to meet his. "Ya said Ah can control it. Teach me how."

~*~*~

With the loving support of Logan who never left her side, the determination of the Professor to make amends immediately and the desperate need she had to be able to touch her lover without fear of harming him, Rogue slowly but surely began to understand and control her mutation.

They worked tirelessly through the night.

Many times it was simple exercises where Charles told her to think of anything but her skin then had Logan touch that skin while she was deep in those other thoughts. Not once during any of those exercises had she slipped up and allowed a doubt to stray in and activate her absorptive flesh.

Other exercises involved the opposite. Her deliberately thinking of her skin as dangerous, as a weapon, while her lover touched it longer enough to prove it responded without actually draining him of any of his lifeforce.

The hardest part was the distractions. Throughout the session, between exercises where her thoughts were focused on either her skin being on or off, the two men in the room would draw her into conversations about nothing in particular. They'd get her mind wandering in all kinds of random directions and then surprise her with a touch to her bare hands or, as Logan preferred, to her face. 

Many times she'd be so lost in thought about what they'd been discussing that her skin would not react for many minutes if at all before the contact ended. 

It was the other times when she'd be startled by the unexpected touch and her skin would react instantly and sometimes powerfully that scared her and kept the training session going until breakfast was about to be served to everyone at the institute.

Hank came to the office and knocked upon the door to let them know that they should come to the table while the food was still hot and his arrival reminded them all that they had gone without sleep.

Even with the nap she had had the previous afternoon, the mental and emotion strain of the session left Rogue feeling nearly exhausted. Still she nodded her head in acceptance of the Professor and Logan's suggestion that they all get some food before catching up on their lost sleep.

She almost regretted the decision when they, accompanied by Hank, all entered the bustling kitchen with all its early morning chatter among the students.

That chatter slowly ground to a halt as the students began realizing she and Logan were entering the room from one direction while Scott had just practically stumbled through the other entrance.

The deeply shamed Cyclops froze at the sight of Rogue as did she when she spotted the jerk.

Growls came from her throat and Logan's behind her as they both focused on the boy who had caused such turmoil in they still new relationship.

There was a telling separation of the group as they all seemed to move to one side of the kitchen or the other leaving a wide open path between Scott and the now angry couple.

Cyclops simply slouched forward as he stood across the room and waited for one or both of the pair to beat the shit out of him.

He'd accepted that he deserved that and more the second he'd seen the betrayal in Rogue's eyes as the Professor confirmed that her mutation had not been cured. 

__

Hell, he thought with self-disgust, _if the girl had killed him when her skin kicked back on he would even have deserved that._

When neither member of the tense couple in the doorway made a move toward the boy, Betsy cautiously stepped from her position against the refrigerator to enter the path cleared by the others and stand directly in front of her friend.

"How you feeling, luv?" she asked the girl hesitantly, unsure of how angry Rogue still was with her.

When her friend stepped back to lean against Logan's chest, Betsy's blue eyes dropped to stare at the floor as tears of hurt and regret filled then.

__

Obviously, the British girl thought with the image of Rogue backing away from her seared in her mind, _her friend was still very angry._

"Ah'm," Rogue broke the silence by answering the question, "Ah'm gonna be ok."

Startled, Betsy's watery eyes jerked from the linoleum to the couple in the doorway. She gasped at the sight of her friend wrapped lovingly in Logan's arms while Rogue's bare hands were entwined with her against her stomach.

"Rogue, you're - " the sentence broke off and as the British telepath rushed forward to hug both her friend and Logan. "My God, luv, you're touching!"

Pulling out of her lover's embrace, Rogue started getting tearful along with her friend as she returned the other girl's hug.

"It worked, Betts," she said still in some disbelief of the fact. "Ah can touch."

The telepath leaned back, tears of joy running down her face.

"It did? It really did?!"

To prove the fact, Rogue stepped back and clasped her friend's bare hands in her own and gave them a little shake.

"Really."

"Oh, luv, I'm soooo sorry we had to lie to you," Betsy again threw her arms around the other girl. "I, none of us, ever meant to hurt you and you'll never now how sorry I am that we had to trick you. I swear I'll make it up to you."

Tears running down her own cheeks, Rogue looked over her shoulder at Logan who raised a hand to cup her cheek and brush a tear away. Though there were still a few kinks to work out, she was happier in that moment that ever before and kissed his palm then returned her attention to her friend.

"Ya already have, Betts," the girl said as she pulled away to smile at her friend. "Ya gave me Logan and tha ability ta touch him. Ah really don't care how ya did it now. Ah just luv ya for it."

Those words seemed to break all the tension in the room and the two friends were quickly joined by Brian, Jean, Kitty, Kurt and Tabitha who all offered their own apologies and were forgiven with tearful hugs.

Happy he hadn't wrecked to many lives with his stupidity, Scott quietly turned and left the room unnoticed.


	32. Summer's End

**__**

Summer's End

Fresh from the mall where they'd gone to get bikini's and bikini waxes, Betsy, Kitty, Rogue and Tabitha walked delicately into to mansion.

"If Ah have ta do this ahll tha tahme just ta go swimmin' Ah'm nevah getting' in tha watah again," Rogue stated as she stepped slowly toward the stairs, the jeans she wore turning out to be a very bad choice for post-waxing wear.

"Like, you're the one who had to buy the tiniest little string bikini to get Logan all excited," Kitty reminded, "it's practically against the law to wear one of those without getting a Brazilian wax."

Betsy, who had also gotten the full removal, slowly made her way to Rogue's side.

"Not to worry, luv, we'll be feeling good as new in just an hour or so and then it'll be all worth it when we're all drop dead gorgeous in our suits tomorrow."

"Yeah, it's the price of being as beautiful as we are," Tabitha winked and fluffed her short blonde hair. 

They all laughed at the girl's preening as Amara and Jean entered the foyer.

"Did you find a suit for tomorrow?" the older girl asked Rogue.

With a wicked smile, Rogue waved the little shopping bag she carried.

"Boy, did Ah," the three girls who'd gone shopping with her giggled. "Ya really shoulda come with us, Red."

Smiling at the fact that she was again one of this fun group, even after her misguided play for Logan, Jean shook her head kind of sadly.

"I would have loved to, but I've still so much to do before I leave Wednesday."

"It's going to be so weird without you and Scott here," Kitty sighed at the reminder that in just a few days the two older team members were leaving for college.

At the mention of her boyfriend, Jean's gaze became troubled and dropped to the floor.

As if summoned by the mere mention of his name, Scott entered the scene with his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his khakis.

"I," Red began once she spotted the young man, "I've got more packing to do."

They all turned to watch the older girl rush up the stairs past Betsy and Rogue.

Out of the corner of her eye though, Rogue noticed the way Scott stared after his girlfriend and frowned at the way his shoulders slouched forward at Jean's quick exit.

__

~~ They still ain't worked it out? ~~

Betsy turned her attention to Rogue, who'd projected the thought to her, then looked over at Cyclops with a rather sad sigh.

__

~~ Afraid not, luv. They've not even been in the same room together for more than a minute with the exception of meals. ~~

Good mood dampened by that fact, Rogue sighed and shook her head.

__

~~ We've gotta do somethin' thare. They've only got five days left togethah and they shouldn't be spendin' it apart. ~~

Somewhat surprised that her friend would want to help the boy, Betsy blinked and started up the stairs with Rogue toward their rooms.

__

~~ You've become awfully forgiving of late, luv. ~~

~~ Happiness does that, it seems, and Scott had a lot ta do with mah findin' this happiness. He may have been a total ass about it, but tha fact remains he did help with yer plan so Ah could get Logan and be touchable. Its onlah fair Ah try ta help him fix tha mess he's made with Jeannie. ~~

"Rogue," Scott interrupted their mental conversation and halted their progress up the staircase with her name, "um … Can I talk to you for a minute?"

She turned to see the young man nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he waited for her answer.

"Sure," she answered without hesitation as she returned to the bottom of the stairs where he stood.

He looked around at the other girls witnessing this scene and wished they weren't present, but always keeping Logan's warning in mind Scott didn't want to actually be alone with the girl.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," she sensed his eyes trying to look deep into hers through his ruby red shades. "I'm sorry I deceived you about Hank's serum, sorry I hit on you, sorry I told you about your skin the way I did and overall sorry for being such a jerk."

"You've been a total jackass, Summers," Tabitha said earning a silencing glare from the others.

"She's right, I have been a total jackass, Rogue. I want you to know that I truly regret my actions that have hurt you and I hope some day you'll be able to forgive me."

"Ah already do, Scott. Sure, thare were lots of bettah ways Ah coulda learned tha truth, but eventually Ah woulda had ta learn it and the longer the deception went on, tha hardah it woulda been ta accept. If not for yer help, Ah wouldn't be as happy as Ah am today, so Ah really do forgive ya."

She smiled gently and extended her hand to give his shoulder a squeeze.

He returned the smile and reached up to hold that hand for a moment.

"Thank you," he said rather quietly before stepping away and walking off toward the rec. room.

As soon as she was sure he was out of hearing range, she waved the other girls to huddle around her.

"Ok, we have _got_ ta do somethin' ta get Jean and Scott back togethah."

~*~*~

Standing before the mirror in her bathroom, Rogue fiddled with the string ties of her bikini and wondered why the heck she'd felt the desire to buy something so revealing.

__

Sure, she wanted to knock her lover's socks off, but everyone would see her in this.

Frowning she tried to make the triangular patches of emerald green material cover more of her breasts and butt, only to find once again that it covered all it could possibly cover.

"Ya wanna hurry it up, darlin', we're set to leave in ten minutes."

With a look at the door Logan had just spoken those words through, she sighed and slid on the sundress she'd chosen to wear to Charles' end of summer party at his lake house.

__

If anyone gets to staring too much her man would just have to deal with them, she assured herself as she stepped from the room.

"Ready?" he asked as she emerged.

She went to the closet to get and slip on the sandals she wanted to wear then turned to nod that she was good to go.

Satisfied that they were on time, Logan slid an arm around her waist to pull her against his side before dropping a quick kiss on her lips and leading them from the bedroom.

They arrived downstairs to find the others all talking excitedly and waiting for the show to get on the road.

Hank was carrying the last of the coolers out the front doors to stow in the X-Van and when he put it in place everyone cheered knowing it was almost time to go.

Knowing her lover would be busy helping out the other adults while she played at the lake that day, Rogue gave him a quick hug and pulled his lips down to hers for a kiss.

"I don't why you two even bother to leave bed," Bobby joked from somewhere behind them.

Breaking the kiss, Logan turned to growl menacingly at the boy who gulped, shrugged then ran to join the others.

"Let's get zhis party started!" Kurt exclaimed as he saw that everything was good to go.

Smiling at her sorta-brother's antics, Rogue pulled away from her boyfriend to run and join the group of girls she was riding with.

~*~*~

Jean's SUV was the last of the vehicles to pull to a stop at the lake and all the occupants practically jumped from the vehicle before she'd even turned off the ignition.

While Hank, Logan and Ororo worked on unloading the items for the barbecue that was planned the boys were running around jumping in the lake of airing up rafts and beach balls to play with in the water.

Tabitha decided that they needed music stat and grabbed Kitty to rush into the house and haul out the stereo.

Amara and Jean went to sit at a picnic table set up along the shore of the lake, while Betsy and Rogue stood off to themselves observing the situation.

They saw Scott in a tank top in swim trunks leaning rather depressed against a tree and looking at Jean who rather pointedly ignored him.

Even through the goggles he wore to make it safe to swim in the lake, both girls watching could see how hurt he was by Red's snub.

"We all set?" Rogue asked her friend.

Immediately knowing what the girl meant, Betsy telepathically contacted all the players in the game to come and had them all report in with a good to go.

"Everything's in place, luv, they're just waiting for the signal."

Kitty and Tabitha finished setting the stereo up just outside the back door of the house and soon pop music was blasting through the speakers at a level that had Logan threatening to slash the thing to bits if they didn't turn it down.

Rolling her eyes at the man, the blonde turned the music down a notch then ran over to Amara and Jean to drag them to their feet.

"Come on girls, are we gonna let these fellas have all the fun?" she called out.

Laughing Amara responded to Tabby's challenge, stripped down to her one piece swimsuit then ran down the pier to dive into the lake near where Bobby and Sam swam.

"You go, girl," the blonde shouted after the younger girl.

Jean and Kitty rolled their eyes at each other before taking off their shirts and pants to reveal their bikinis.

Suddenly all the guys in the water were focused entirely on the shore watching each girl disrobe, which had Amara shaking her head in disgust and splashing Bobby.

The iceboy retaliated by diving under the water to grab the girl's feet and pull her down.

As the two played, Tabitha threw off her clothes down to her bikini then dragged Jean and Kitty into the water.

"Let's do this, luv," Betsy said with a smile at Rogue.

Nodding, Rogue looked over to where Logan stood watching and sent him a wink as she slid the thin straps of her dress down off her shoulders to send the light cotton garment floating down to pool at her feet.

Her lover glared at the revealing swimsuit she was now left standing in as the boys in the water hooted and hollered at the outfit.

Blowing her man a kiss, Rogue waited for Betsy to unveil her suit then the two ran down the pier to cannonball into the lake.

Swiping her long, now wet, purple hair back from her face, Elizabeth smiled and gave the signal to the others.

Responding instantly, Kurt ported from where he was playing in the water to the shore where Scott stood then he grabbed the older boy and teleported them both to a position over the water. Their combined body weights splashed down into the lake and sent water crashing over Jean and Kitty who were swimming next to the point of impact.

Shrieking, both girls began retaliating. Kitty drove both hands into the water to send a small wave smacking into Kurt while Jean smiled wickedly and used her telekinesis to dump a gallon or so of water on Scott's head.

Betsy and Rogue exchanged satisfied glances as they saw the couple forget their differences and begin playing in the water like a pair of children.

The two girls then looked over the water's surface over toward the adults on the shore.

Hank and Ororo were both in their swimwear, though neither of them approached the water yet and Logan was leaning back against a tree watching the kids play.

Rogue saw her lover look her way and she waved.

Rather than wave back, he straightened from the tree with a smirk on his face that she could see from across the distance and removed his shoes.

One by one, all the girls stopped their playing with the boys in the water to turn and watch the Wolverine slowly drag his tight white T-shirt up over his dark head. The movement mussed his silky black hair in a way that had them all wanting to smooth the soft strands back into place. 

All eyes widened as the man, eyes still focused on Rogue, unsnapped his blue jeans and lowered the zipper. 

Rogue was smiling at him with pride and possession as he pushed those pants off his muscular legs and straightened to stand there in nothing but a tight black speedo.

"Luv, you have definitely been withholding vital information from us," Betsy whispered beside her.

Still smiling, Rogue turned to look at her friend only to lose the smile as she saw where Elizabeth's blue eyes were focused.

"Hey," she exclaimed with a playful shove that sent the purple haired girl sputtering under the water.

Coughing slightly, her friend surfaced and blushed as she looked at Rogue.

"Sorry, luv, I couldn't help it. That," she peeked over at Logan again, "is just bloody irresistible to look at."

"Ah know," the girl gloated as her man finally stopped showing off his hot bod to the hormonal girls and did a running dive into the lake.

Though his adamantium coated skeleton made it difficult, he was a good strong swimmer and quickly cut down the distance between Rogue and himself. When he reached a point a few feet from her, he dove under the water for what she knew would be a sneak attack. Determined not to be the one attacked she took a deep breath and sank beneath the surface as well to await his move.

Betsy watched the pair suddenly pop back up for air with a laughing Rogue held tightly in Logan's arms. The couple proceeded to kiss and frolic in a manner the British girl decided she was too young to witness. Smiling once again with delight at that relationship, she swam off to join the others and focus on the other relationship she wanted to nudge along.

~*~*~

Hours later everyone was gathered on the shore enjoying hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken hot off the grill as well as the many dishes and desserts that had been unpacked from the coolers and set out on a table.

__

The table, a blushing Rogue thought.

She had almost died when Hank and Logan maneuvered the kitchen table from the house to outside next to the grill for the cookout. Remembering quite vividly what they'd done on that table the young woman's cheeks had been a nice shade of red for about an hour now and everyone was trying to determine the cause of the blush.

Everyone but Logan, _who knew darn well why she was blushin' the smug lil yahoo_, and Jean, who had seen those particular memories when she pried into Rogue's head when the girl got back from the lake last week, that is.

Jean, who everyone was thrilled to see sitting next to Scott, was having a very hard time looking at that table or the couple who'd done unmentionable things on it.

__

It had been one hell of a summer, they all agreed as their stomachs were filled and they just sat around talking.

Thinking of all the good things that had happened for them these past few days, Logan and Rogue snuggled against each other with smiles.

Amazingly, Scott placed his arm around Jean's shoulder and the girl raised her hand to hold his as she smiled and kissed his chin.

The whole team looked at those two, delighted that it appeared all had been forgiven.

Brian was sitting on the ground, reclining against a tree with Tabitha on his lap, while Amara flirted with a bold Bobby and shy Sam.

All the others, Betsy, Charles, Hank, Jamie, Kitty, Kurt, Ororo, Ray, and Roberto, just sat around watching them all and enjoying this last Saturday of their summer.

__

It had been a great day, they all thought when it finally came to an end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Yeah, this is pretty much the happy ending. I know it may all be kinda quick fixes, but go with it. :-P I have one or two more "Epilogue" type chapters planned for after this so we all get to see where the relationships go, etc. and then the series shall be finished. Yippee!


	33. Surprise

**__**

Surprise

__

School was over!

Sure, Rogue had decided to do some college classes online and work toward some degree while she stayed at the mansion with Logan and the team, but for the most part she was done with classroom's and the rigors of school.

It was summer again and she was looking forward to finding a way for this one to beat the last.

The totally free weeks and months ahead promised all kinds of vacations for her and her lover and she couldn't wait!

Unfortunately they still had missions and chores to do for the X-Men like the one that was taking them to Las Vegas. 

She really wasn't clear on what this mission was, but it was a pretty big deal.

Jean and Scott, who'd gotten back from their first year of college just yesterday, were with Logan, Rogue, Betsy, Brian, Kitty, Kurt, Tabitha and the Professor in the Velocity while Hank and Ororo were flying the rest of the team in the Blackbird.

As they were going to a well populated place, they were all in civilian clothes rather than their uniforms. Rogue understood that they needed to blend in with the crowd as much as they could, but she had no idea why the Professor had ordered them all to dress up.

All the men, even Logan, were in some kind of suit and the girls, herself included, were fancied up in dresses.

It felt a bit weird, but as she was the only one that seemed to be questioning the situation she went along with it.

They landed their aircraft at a private runway just outside the city.

Everyone quickly rose to exit the Velocity, but Logan snagged her wrist to keep Rogue from following.

"Wha - " she asked as he sat her down and closed the doors behind the departed team members.

Without saying a word he moved to kneel on one knee before her and pulled something out of the pocket of the black blazer he wore.

She gasped as he held out his hand to reveal a small black velvet box, the kind she knew typically held rings. 

"Rogue," he began gruffly as he looked into her startled eyes, "will you marry me?"

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as he followed the question with the opening of the box to reveal to her the most beautiful emerald engagement ring she'd ever seen. The small oval shaped emerald was the deepest green she'd ever seen and on either side of it were two round gems she'd bet her life were actual diamonds. Knowing how she was allergic to gold, he'd gotten it in a platinum setting that was utterly perfect.

"Oh mah Gawd," was all she could say as she stared at the ring and wonderful man holding it.

"Darlin', my knee's getting' a lil stiff. Should I take that as a 'yes'?"

With tears gathering in her eyes, she threw herself against him and began raining kisses over his jaw, noticing for the first time that by some miracle it was clean shaven.

Suddenly she froze as the pieces all started coming together.

The whole team being together and dressed up.

A mysterious mission to Las Vegas, the quickie wedding capital of the US.

Logan proposing marriage.

"Oh mah Gawd. Now?!" she pulled away to stare down at him, "Ya wanna get hitched **_now?_**"

"Well, yeah," he said simply.

"Just lahke that," she demanded in disbelief. "Just load up tha team, drag me ta Vegas and what … get married bah some Elvis impersonator?" 

"Not that last part. Charles has us formal minister waiting at the hotel."

"But ya ain't denyin' tha rest of it are you?"

"Course not," he sat in a seat and pulled her onto his lap. "We've been livin' in sin almost a year now, darlin', and I sure as hell don't want some big fancy shindig. This is perfect for us."

"Perfect fer you, shuga. Ah always wanted a nice, white gown and brahdesmaids and all," she pouted against his chest.

"Ya got those, darlin," he bent to kiss her lips. "There's a boutique in the hotel for ya to get a nice gown and the girls are all ready to act as your bridesmaids. Hank's gonna be my best man and the Prof. can walk you down the aisle and we've even got Irene here for the ceremony."

"Ahrene? Mah foster mothah, Ahrene?"

"Yeah. She's cares about ya, kid, and I figured you'd want her here since she pretty much raised ya."

With a tear running down her face at his thoughtfulness she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips to hers for a tenderly passionate kiss.

Pulling away, she wiped the tear from her cheek then thrust her left hand forward.

"Yes," she said with a wiggle of her ring finger.

Smiling, Logan dropped a quick kiss on her lips then bent to pick the ring up off the floor of the helicopter and slide it on her waiting finger.

"Ah want you ta wear one of these, too, ya know," she said as she admired the perfect fit of the ring on her finger.

"Ya think this'll keep the poachers at bay?"

Her eyes moved from the ring she wore to look at the second ring box he'd removed from his suit jacket. This one contained two wedding bands. One a dainty little ring of platinum for her to match the engagement ring and his a much wider band that would be clearly seen by anyone that glanced at his sexy fingers.

"How long ya been plannin' this?" she had to know.

"Since Christmas."

Shaking her head in awe of this man she whispered against his lips, "Ah love you."

"I love you, too, Rogue," they kissed for just a moment before he pulled back, "Let's go get hitched."

~*~*~

"Ok, that'll be the something new, now we need old, borrowed and blue," Tabitha said as Rogue chose her wedding gown from the hotel's boutique.

"Oooh, like, here's the blue," Kitty said as she found a silky light blue teddy for their friend to wear under her gown.

"Ah, I've got old and borrowed," Jean exclaimed.

They all watched with some surprise as the older girl removed the silver ring she wore on her right hand and slid it onto Rogue's finger.

"It was my grandmother's wedding ring. She and grandfather were together 62 years before he passed away and she loved him until she died five years later. It's always brought me good luck, so it's perfect for your wedding day."

"Jeannie," Rogue gasped tearfully as she hugged the girl tightly for her actions.

Soon Amara, Betsy, Kitty and Tabitha joined the two girls for a tearful group hug.

"I can't believe you're getting married, luv. It's so …. So perfect," Betsy said.

"Ah wish y'all coulda heard him propose. It was tha most beautiful thing in mah whole lahfe."

"You guys are so perfect together," Amara gushed. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone as happy as you two have been this whole last year."

Rogue sniffled and hugged the young girl, "Ah've nevah been this happy. Ah nevah thought Ah could love anyone lahke Ah do Logan."

"Ok, girls, we've totally gotta knock off this mushy talk. We're running our makeup," Tabitha pulled back to rub at her watery eyes and order.

"Indeed. Not to mention we've got a room full of impatient men waiting to get this wedding started," Betsy said.

While they all giggled and pulled compacts out of their little purses to check said makeup, Rogue went into the dressing room to put on the gown the Professor had ordered her to charge to the hotel's honeymoon suite, which he was providing the couple with for the weekend.

She put on the teddy Kitty had found and rolled on her stockings before carefully stepping into her white gown. Zipping it up, she smiled at herself in the mirror while placing the veil atop her head then stepping into the white heels Tabitha had selected.

Just like that, she was ready to be married.

~*~*~

Jean, Kitty and Tabitha walked down the aisle together moments before Betsy, who was acting as Rogue's maid of honor.

Seconds later, the wedding march began and the bride appeared just inside the doorway.

She had her left hand resting on Charles' shoulder as he wheeled his chair down the aisle, leading her toward Logan and the minister.

The groom stood as if transfixed as he watched his soon to be wife approach. She looked like an angel, in her flowing white gown and long veil. Through the gossamer fabric of that veil he could see her green, love filled eyes looking back at him as her soft lips curled into a beautiful smile.

The moment she placed her hand in his to begin the ceremony was one of many with her he would have loved to freeze and hold forever. It was a moment where everyone else in the whole world melted away as their eyes saw only each other and their hands joined with all the love and trust they felt for one another.

Charles and the minister both had to clear their throats to get the couples attention.

For the most part, the wedding was a blur to them both. They said "I do," exchanged rings and recited their vows when prompted, but they both snapped out of their happy little daze for the best part.

"I know pronounce you husband and wife," the smiling minister announced as he closed his Bible, "You may now kiss the bride."

With a huge smile on her face, Rogue flipped back her veil and slid into her new husband's arms for a kiss that was deep and passionate and wholly inappropriate for a public viewing.

Still the whole team hooted and hollered their encouragement until they noticed that the bride was just moments away from pushing the groom to the floor and pouncing on him.

At that point, the bridemaids rushed forward to laughingly pull the woman away from her man who stood there smiling smugly even though he himself was slightly restrained by Hank.

"Let's go gamble," Kurt said as the wedding was now over.

"You're a bit young for that yet, Nightcrawler, and we've still a reception to attend in the restaurant," Charles said to the assembled guests.

"Actually, Charles," Logan said as he stepped away from Hank to sling an unsuspecting Rogue over his shoulder, "I think we'll be heading up to our room. You all enjoy the meal though."

Blushing red as her veil fell to the floor, the bride smacked his butt and demanded to be put down.

Slowly the eager groom complied and returned her to her feet.

After picking up the fallen veil, she rushed around the room dispensing hugs to Irene and all her friends, kisses their cheeks and thanking them sincerely for all they'd done. Just as eager as her new husband though, Rogue agreed with the idea of skipping dinner and finished the thank yous quickly before grabbing his hand and dragging him from the room.

"You'd think after a year some of that would have worn off," Tabitha said with a touch of envy.

"When it's real it never wears off," Scott said as he wrapped his arms around Jean's waist and pulled the girl back against his chest.

The redhead turned in her boyfriend's embrace and tenderly kissed his lips at the sentiment.

"How long before you two have one of these?" Kitty asked.

"After college," the couple stated, indicating they'd already discussed the matter.

"Oh my God, are you guys engaged?"

"We didn't want to take any attention for Logan and Rogue's day, but since they've run off," Jean looked at Scott, who nodded, then she turned the gold ring on her left ring finger until a lovely diamond solitaire was revealed to them all. "It became official on the drive back from college."

~*~*~

While the team celebrated that announcement downstairs the newlyweds, clothing and hair noticeably mussed, emerged from the elevator to stumble down the hallway toward their honeymoon suite.

They were wrapped tightly in each other's arms, kissing and touching the whole way and only parted for a second for Logan to fish the room key from his pocket and open the room.

Neither of them paid any attention to the lovely interior of the small living room or the champagne and flowers awaiting them in it as they began kicking off shoes and removing clothing on the way to the bedroom.

Once there, things slowed down as Logan carefully removed her wedding gown and draped it over a chair. He then returned to stand in front of her, bare chested from Rogue's eager hands shoving off his blazer, tie and shirt, as she stood in nothing but stockings and her teddy.

Smiling gently, he just looked down at her for a moment before slowly running his hands from her hips up to hold her chin and tilt her head back for the softest kiss he'd ever given her. It was almost worshipping and it brought tears to her eyes.

Her hands slid up over his chest to stroke his jaw, which was once again covered in stubble, as her watery green eyes looked deeply into his loving brown ones.

"Ah love you, Logan, with ahll mah heart," she whispered.

They kissed again for a brief moment before he rested his forehead against hers, looked into her eyes and gruffly stated back, "I love you, too, Rogue, with all I've got. You're my mate. My wife."

His hands tangled in her hair, which she was allowing to grow out and now reached a bit past her shoulders, "You're my life, darlin'."

Unable to find any words that came close to expressing the depths of her emotions at that moment, Rogue slid her fingers into his hair and brought their lips together for a kiss she poured her whole soul into.

It left them both breathless and as their lips parted for much needed oxygen, Logan gently scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.

Standing beside it, he lowered her tenderly to lay on the mattress then straightened to roll the stockings down her legs. He then unfastened and removed his pants before joining slowly laying his body down on top of hers.

For a while they were content to simply lay against each other, kissing and caressing in ways more intended to express love than arouse. 

Soon, though, the closeness became too much and he pulled back to slide the teddy from her body. 

Rogue's breathing grew ragged and her eyes fell shut as he bared her flesh to his hands and lips. Those hands drifted over her ribs, stomach and thighs while the lips kissed and licked their way down her neck to her chest. There they parted to lovingly bathe her breasts with his rasping tongue until she was gripping his head tightly to her and calling his name.

At that moment he removed the last of his clothing, urged her legs apart and settled between them.

"Look at me," he whispered.

Slowly she forced her dazed eyes to open and meet his as instructed.

The moment their gazes locked, he joined their bodies.

"Love you, Rogue," he growled as he stilled for a moment, buried deeply within her.

"Ah love you, Logan," she whispered, looking deep into his eyes as her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her hips began moving against his.

Not once in the slow journey to their first climax as husband and wife did they break eye contact. Both had times when their eyelids fluttered with the pleasure they felt or they gazes became unfocused with passion, but they continued to look straight at each other.

Went over the edge together, each crying out the other's name as they saw the love and joy they felt in that moment reflected back in the other's intense gaze. 

It was a loving not quite like any other they'd yet had and as they returned to sanity they were curled tightly together in the bed and quite ready to sleep.

"Mah last shot wore off last week," Rogue said quietly against her husband's slightly sweaty chest. "Ah didn't let Hank give me anothah one. We may have just made a baby."

"Honey, if we didn't use anything I can guarantee you we made a child just now. That's the kinda lovin' it was," he nuzzled and kissed the top of her head.

"We've nevah talked about kids before," she looked up at him, "D'ya want them?"

"With you? More than anything else. Are ya ready for all that if you are pregnant?" he asked while stroking her cheek.

She nodded against him.

"It's why Ah didn't go see Hank for anothah shot. Ah wanna have yer babies and now that Ah ain't in school Ah couldn't wait anymore ta start tryin'."

"Babies? Plural?" he asked.

"Uh-huh. Ah want at least two, maybe three and Ah want 'em to be boys. Adorable little Logan's ta have runnin' around tha mansion."

"Well then, we'd best get started if ya want more than one rugrat," he growled playfully as sleep was forgotten in favor of the arousal that had been stirred at all the talk of her wanting his children.

"Mmmm," she moaned contentedly as he again moved over her, "and we'll have ta do this lots and lots of tahmes till we get it rahght, shuga."

"I can do that," he leered down at her until she giggled and raised her head for a kiss.


	34. Little Logans

A/N: Yes, dear reader's this is the last chapter in this series. I now add this installment with a satisfied smile at completing one series and move to get myself back to work on some others. :-P I want to thank very much all the readers and reviewers of this series. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I liked writing it and all your reviews have been greatly appreciated. *hands out credit cards to all reviewers* It's just easier to go with cash for a gift, I think. 

WisAthena, if you're still curious, Brian Braddock aka Captain Britain's powers are: Superhuman strength, speed, endurance, reflexes, and invulnerability, flight, ethereal energy-channeling costume generates energy in the form of a force field for additional protection or released as a strike of physical energy, carries the Sword of Might and the Amulet of Right. 

__

Information courtesy of my #1 resource for researching X-Men characters, UncannyXMen.net – url 

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**__**

Little Logans

It was a familiar ruckus woke Rogue from her much needed afternoon nap. With a yawn and stretch, she rolled from the bed she shared with her husband and stood.

The persistent ache in her lower back at the movement caused her to frown as she rubbed at it and waddled to the window.

Outside on the front lawn of institute she saw her little hoodlums chasing one another while poor Kitty, who'd volunteered to watch them today, tried to keep up. 

__

There goes another babysitter, she thought with a laugh as she watched Kitty finally give up the chase and just flopped down on the ground.

A pair of arms slid around her waist from behind to pull her gently back against the chest of her beloved spouse, who she hadn't even known was back yet.

"Logan," she exclaimed with surprised delight as she turned in those arms to hug and kiss him. 

He returned the embrace and a few long, lingering kisses before tucking her head against his shoulder and looking out the window at his sons who were now circling Kitty outside and preparing to pounce on the woman.

"Looks like they're being a handful," he chuckled against his wife's hair.

"Just needin' their daddy," she said as she tipped her head back, "Much lahke their mama needs daddy."

"Don'tcha worry, darlin', the Prof. ain't sending me on any more missions until after this one's born," he said as his hand dropped to massage her stomach, which held their third child.

"How'd y'all do on this one?" 

"Trask got away again, but we took out his base and the Sentinels he'd gotten built there. Betsy, Scott and Warren are still trying to find him, but I doubt they'll have any luck."

She simply moaned contentedly as his massaging hands moved to her aching back while he spoke.

"The little Logan's wearing ya out, darlin'?" he asked with some concern at how lethargic she seemed.

"More lahke our lil Rogue," she snuggled against his chest. "This gal's a kickah."

Kissing the top of her head, he continued to massage her body as she grew sleepy against him.

"Sorry I've not been here as much this time around."

Chuckling as she remembered how attentive and protective he'd been during her first pregnancy with the twins, she couldn't help but be a little happy that Charles had found other things to keep her spouse occupied this time around. The three long days and two lonely nights she'd spent without her husband while he was on this last mission was a bit much though.

"Don't ya worry 'bout that, shuga, you're always here when Ah need ya and everyone's been babyin' me while you were away," she tipped her head up to kiss his chin, "Plus, you're here now fer tha most important tahme."

"Ya decided on a name for this one?"

"Ah'm leanin' toward Kathryn Elizabeth for Kitty and Betts."

"I think we can all live with that."

Shouting and running feet in the hallway heading towards their bedroom broke up the cuddling.

Logan released his wife just as the door was flung open and his six year old sons came bounding into the room.

"Daddy's home!" they cried at a level that made said daddy's sensitive ears ring.

He barely had a second to crouch down and brace himself before the twins flung themselves against him for hugs.

"D'ya bring us anything?" Logan Charles, the older of the pair by two minutes asked of his father.

"Yeah, yeah, did ya daddy? Did ya?" James Kurt demanded as he bounced on his dad's knee.

Looking back over his shoulder, Logan exchanged a loving glance with his wife at their children's spoiled antics before grabbing a boy under each arm and walking them over to the foot of the bed where he'd put his gear. After depositing the kids on the bed, he bent to pick up his duffel bag and remove from it the souvenirs he'd brought back from the mission for his sons.

"Now, before I give ya these, you've both gotta promise you'll not be using them as weapons. They're not even toys, they're just something for ya both to have. Got it?" he gave them his sternest look.

"Yes, daddy, we get it," they both said.

"No hittin' tha other kids with it, I promise," James added.

The child who had a tendency to play rather roughly with others squirmed under his father's skeptical gaze.

"I _promise,_" he repeated.

"Ok, but if either of ya break that promise, I take 'em away from ya both."

With that, Logan presented the boys with what he'd gotten them.

"Logan," Rogue said with a touch of disapproval as she saw that her boys now had the heavy metal hands of a Sentinel robot to play with.

Meanwhile, the boys were exclaiming their delight over the gifts and demanding to know if they were from real robots.

"Sure are. Cut 'em off the thing myself for ya," their proud papa stated.

"Cool!" they both shouted before hugging the items to their chests and running from the room to show them off to their friends at the school.

There was a shriek seconds after the twins raced into the hallway followed by Kitty phasing through their bedroom wall in an obvious attempt to avoid further contact with the little terrors.

Rogue forgot about lecturing Logan for his choice in gifts for their children in favor of laughing at her rumpled and exhausted looking friend.

With a near growl Shadowcat pushed back her long brown hair, which fallen from it's usual ponytail to cover her face in a tangled mass. 

"I love you guys and I love those kids, but I. Will. NEVER. Watch. Them. Again," the woman stated as she glared at them.

"Ain't that what ya said last time?" Logan asked with a smirk.

"This time, I like totally mean it. They put a snake down my shirt!" she shrieked.

Imagining that Kitty's reaction to her sons' doing that was what woke her from her nap, Rogue bit her lip firmly to keep from laughing. Her husband felt no need for such restraint and threw his dark head back to laugh aloud at the news.

"Ugh. You're just as bad as they are," Kitty said angrily in their father's direction. "Next time you go out of town, leave them with Bobby. At least he deserves whatever tortures the hoodlums can come up with!"

When the woman turned and stormed from the room, with a crashing slam of the door behind her, Rogue laughingly turned to smack Logan's shoulder.

"Ow," he pretended the blow hurt and pouted at her.

Rolling her eyes at his actions, she moved to kiss the spot she'd hit before wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling up into his face as he slid his arms around her waist.

"Ah don't believe Ah welcomed ya home yet, shuga."

"No ya didn't, darlin'," he kissed her lips quickly, "but you're tired so I'll forgive ya."

"You're so generous," she smirked sarcastically, "Ah missed ya though."

"Missed you, too," he said as he scooped her up and laid her gently on the bed.

Sleepily, she watched him unlace and remove his shoes before sliding up the mattress to lay behind her and pull her body back against his.

Neither of them was able to really rest when they were apart, so they had two nights of much needed sleep to catch up on. Snuggling into the warmth of his chest, she laced her fingers through his as they curled protectively over her stomach. His lips brushed the nape of her neck through the veil of her hair and then they closed their eyes to sleep.

~*~*~

Two weeks later Logan held his wife on his lap as she cradled their newborn daughter against her chest.

On the sofa, the twins were pressed on either side of them to get a good look at their baby sister, each of them occasionally reaching out to touch the soft hair on little Kathryn's head or to marvel at how tiny her hands were.

"We were that small?" little Logan asked his parents as his wide brown eyes watched the squirming bundle in his mother's arms.

"Sure were, squirt," his father replied with a smile and ruffle of the boy's hair.

"Ok, enough family time, let me hold my little goddaughter," Tabitha demanded.

"She's, like, my goddaughter too and they even named her after me, so I get to hold her," Kitty said as she stepped past the blonde.

"Well now, luvs, she's my goddaughter and named after me as well," Betsy stepped away from her fiance Warren Worthington, "I think I should hold her next."

"I'm her uncle, I should get her next," Kurt leap forward to say.

The others all laughed at their antics, especially Rogue who showed no signs yet of being ready to surrender her precious bundle to anyone.

His chuckles fading into a wicked smile, Logan bent to whisper something in the ear of first one twin then the other. Giggling, the boys looked at their father to make sure they'd heard right and once they got a nod of reassurance they leapt off the couch to throw themselves at the adults standing before them.

James grabbed on to Kitty and Tabitha while little Logan snagged Betsy and Kurt by the hand.

Instantly both boys began jumping up and down against the people they'd chosen, offering themselves up to be held if their godparents were wanting to hold a kid.

Kitty, Kurt and Tabitha all backed away in horror, but little Logan had Betsy's long purple hair tangled around his fingers, so she accepted her fate and lifted him up on to her hip.

"When are these little scamps to outgrow all this, luv?" she asked Rogue as she freed her hair and tickled the boy she held.

Smiling, the proud mother turned her head a bit to kiss her husband's lips then answered her friend's question.

"Ah'm still waitin' fer this one ta grow out of it."

Her spouse growled at that and nuzzled her neck until she giggled like a teenager.

Standing apart from the rowdy group, Jean turned in her husband's embrace and looked up into his ruby red shades.

"You really want a boy like one of those?" she asked with a look over her shoulder at the twins who were now climbing over their laughing 'uncle' Hank.

"I do believe ours will be a little more controlled," Scott said with a laugh at the childrens' antics.

"Uh-huh," his wife arched a skeptical red brow, "as if you and Alex were perfect little angels growing up?"

"Alex was a bit hyper, but you know me," he bent to kiss her lips, "always perfect."

The Professor, who couldn't help overhearing that comment, threw back his head to laugh out loud at it.

Pulling away from her husband, Jean joined the other man in his amusement.

"Okie dokie," Rogue suddenly said as she rose to her feet. "Ah'm ready ta share now."

With a gentle smile, she crossed the room to stand before the laughing redhead.

Jean's green eyes widened in surprise as she realized the younger woman was going to allow her to be the first to hold the infant other than it's proud parents.

"For practice," Rogue explained while placing her yawning daughter in the other woman's arms.

"Oohing" and "ahhing" at the little girl now in her arms, Jean didn't really hear the words.

Scott came up behind her to lovingly rub her upper arms and kissed the back of her head as his wife began speaking gibberish to the infant.

"Your little bundle will be arriving in November, right?" Betsy asked as she snuggled up against Warren and watched the couple admiring their goddaughter.

"Beginning of or late October," Scott answered.

"Vill it be a boy or girl?" Kurt asked as he was waved forward by Rogue to next hold her baby.

"We want to be surprised," Jean said while placing the child in the blue man's arms.

"Bettah be careful sayin' that," Rogue warned, "Ah think Ah said something along those lahnes seven years ago and look at tha surprise Ah got."

Everyone turned to laugh at the twins who had tackled Hank to the floor where all three were now wrestling.

"I think we'll make sure there's only one," Scott smiled, "we just don't want to know the gender."

While watching the newest addition to their family get passed gently around the room so that all her friends could fuss over the little baby, Rogue moved back into her husband's arms to smile and reflect upon all the blessings she now had in her life.

For nearly ten years she'd had the friends who gathered around her now as family.

For the past eight years she'd had and returned the love of the wonderful man holding her, seven of those years as his wife.

For a little over six years she'd had two little carbon copies of her beloved husband who showed every sign of having their father's mutation as well as his dark good looks.

Now she had a little daughter that may turn out to be a little image of herself, though she hoped if Kathryn had the X-gene it developed in a nicer way.

She looked around at her friends and reflected upon the goodness in their lives.

Kurt had married his high school sweetheart, Amanda, shortly after Logan and Rogue had wed.

Hank and Ororo had finally stopped sneaking around the mansion in the middle of the night for not-so-secret trysts and tied the knot three years ago. Though the couple both loved children, they'd yet to have any and had no plans to try. 

Jean and Scott had been married for two years now and, as the group had discussed, were expecting their first child in a few months.

Betsy, after a youthful romance with Pietro, was preparing to marry the love of her life Warren Worthington aka Angel.

Seven years ago, Brian had returned to England to get his college education at Oxford and just a few months ago the team had been informed through Betsy that he was engaged to be married as well.

It had taken Tabitha two years to fully recover from her first true love's decision to leave her behind to pursue his education, but Ray had been there for her and the two had been together for five years now. They had no plans yet to legalize it, but everyone knew they were fully committed to each other.

Kitty's relationship with Lance had run it's course and the Shadowcat had been deeply in love with Piotr Rasputin for all the four years he'd been with the X-Men.

Amara and Jamie had both left the team after they'd completed college.

Bobby, Remy - who had joined the team at the same time as Piotr, Roberto, and Sam remained as the resident bachelors that all the new female recruits dreamed about.

Then there was Charles, the creator and overseer of this wonderful sanctuary that had brought them all together. He'd surprised them all a few years back by becoming involved in a romance with the single mother of one of the new recruits, but sadly it lasted only a year before the couple parted. Even though he remained alone in that regard, he was a very happy man. The with which his mansion always buzzed anymore gave him constant hope for the future and made him proud of how well they had thrived.

__

And thrive they had, she thought as her baby girl was again placed in her arms by Piotr, the last of the team to hold little Kathryn.

As she again sat on the sofa in Logan's loving embrace with her two sons on either side of their parents and the newest addition to their family held to her heart, Rogue looked around the room at all her loved ones and thanked whatever fate had seen to it that they all came together in this life.

**__**

The End.

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Author Speaking: I know it was a little corny at the very end, but I couldn't resist. *sniffles* It just … *sniffles* just seemed the way to go. At this time there are no planned sequels to this series. That may at some time change, but it will be some time before it happens if it does. Thank you once again to all who've enjoyed and wish for an encore. :-)


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